


Versus

by Neko_ryn



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Blood, Character Death, Emotional Manipulation, Fights, Gen, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Injuries, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Serious Injuries, Swearing, Violence, relationships are not the main focus, someone is gonna get blinded
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 25
Words: 74,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22147162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neko_ryn/pseuds/Neko_ryn
Summary: It’s been a year since Woojin disappeared without leaving a trace. It’s been a year since Chan swore to track him and take him down. And now, after the reports of a mysterious source revealing confidential information about the biggest superhero companies in South Korea, it is time for Chan to put together a team and do whatever it takes to fulfill his promise.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 53
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue: Change

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god. I can’t believe I’m finally here, posting the prologue of this fic. I’ve been working on it since July of last year, it’s almost finished, only the last three chapters left, but I promised myself I would start posting it in my birthday. So here I am, happy birthday to me.
> 
> This fic is really important to me, I tried a lot of new stuff with it, so I hope you’ll give it a lot of love. And don’t worry, I won’t abandon it this time (sorry), it’s literally all written out already. Anyways, please enjoy!

“Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”

— Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Change always left a physical trace, Nova knew this. He had been able to feel it during the missions, as Whisper and him fought together. It was in the way the other hesitated when fighting, like the mission was not clear anymore. They had fought one time because of it. Whisper had almost gotten himself killed for being distracted; had Nova been too late, he would have lost his partner.

They had yelled at each other. It had never happened before, not like that, not like they were about to destroy the other. A rift opened that day, and nothing was quite the same after. They hardly spoke during or after the missions, and Whisper stopped accompanying Nova to the reports they had to deliver to the company.

It made Nova’s blood boil. They had been partners for so many years already, so he couldn’t understand why Whisper was acting like a stranger. They saw each other less and less, like a silent agreement had been established between them. 

It hurt a lot, much like leaving an injury exposed, but the anger in his blood kept him from trying to reach forward. What was the point? He had tried. He thought he knew Whisper well from all those years spent together in training, catching criminals and fighting for the only cause they knew to be good. However Whisper had decided all of this was worthless.

Nova had convinced himself that he could deal with it. He started to forget the look of Whisper’s face behind the mask. Until one day not even the mask showed up to their mission. It was not the first time Nova killed a criminal. Before it had been a slip of hand, a rookie’s mistake. But this time the fury was written in the walls of the victim with blood.

That night, Nova skipped the mission report. He looked for Whisper everywhere inside the company, but even his room had been stripped clean. When he found him, Whisper had just finished loading his stuff in a taxi. He wasn’t wearing his uniform or mask, and looked like nothing more than a civilian. 

“Where are you going?” Nova asked, lunging forward to grab Whisper by the arm and turn him around.

“Nova.” Whisper deadpanned, shaking away his hand. “Why are you covered in blood?”

“Don’t answer me with a question, Whisper,” he hissed. “Why didn’t you come to the mission? Where is your uniform? Where are you going?”

“I’m not Whisper anymore, Chan, I’m leaving.” Whisper turned around and opened the passenger door of the taxi.

“Kim Woojin!” 

Woojin stopped on his tracks and turned around. He sighed and walked back to Chan. Chan stared at him through the mask that hid his identity, there was a mix of something in his eyes, and Woojin realized it was a stare close to the one his friend would direct at criminals. His heart clenched.

“Come with me Chan.” Woojin took off his mask and threw it on the floor; thankfully, the blood had already dried off.

“Where are you going?” Chan asked for the third time.

“I cannot trust JYP anymore, or any company for that matter, they’re not what you think they are.” 

“Stop that bullshit hyung, they gave us everything we have now, are you going to betray them?”

“But at what cost did they give us everything?” Woojin smiled bitterly. Chan’s expression hardened.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Chan you’re not listening to me-“

“I am not going anywhere.” Chan put emphasis in each word, making it clear that he was not going to follow. Woojin smiled at him, it was a sad smile.

“That’s okay, I will make you understand, I will burn down this world you believe to know and show you the reality behind its facade. And then you’ll come looking for me.”

“Don’t do this to us, or I’ll be forced to hunt you down.

“You wouldn’t do it. It would shatter you.” Woojin placed a hand on his shoulder lightly, just for a few seconds. And just as fast he had turned around to enter the taxi. “Goodbye, Nova.”


	2. The Eye of Providence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”  
> — Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays 2, 1926-29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be it for today. You can expect weekly chapters! I’ll be posting every Monday if everything goes well, to cheer up the beginning of your week a little. Thanks for reading!

_ A mysterious source has been revealing what seems to be confidential information from the top superhero companies in the country. In the past months, breaches to the security systems to several companies, including the giant SM, were reported in different instances. It seems that these attacks could be related to “The Eye of Providence”, a new website that appeared early this year that contains exclusive information related to the most powerful companies in the country. The identity of the person or group behind the attack remains unknown, but as the police continues to investigate we expect more information to be revealed soon. _

Chan stared at the televisions displayed in the window of the electronics shop. His expression remained stern as he took in the information he had been waiting to hear for over a year now. ‘The Eye of Providence’ was a fitting yet interesting name, so he made a mental note before walking away and preparing for his mission. It was a simple raid and search for drugs and weapons. The police suspected the place was owned by the most popular underground gang in Seoul, which was rumored to include some members with extraordinary powers.

“Are you in position, Nova?” An unmistakably cheerful voice came through his earpiece.

“Yes, Bambam, I’m in position.” Chan whispered, peeking through the window of the building opposite to where his mission was to take place.

“Oh, come on, use my superhero name, this is unfair,” Bambam complained, and Chan hated the fact that he could feel the effect of the other’s power like a tingle on his skin.

“ _ Jinx, _ ” he said through gritted teeth. “You know it’s unfair to use your power against your teammates, right?”

“Of course I do, that’s what makes it fun! Now, DD Project are on the way, once they get there, you three go in.” Jinx explained, and Chan could almost hear the smirk through his earpiece.

As he looked through the window, the target started to move. They were loading things into a van, and Chan realized they were moving. It was likely that their mission had been compromised.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to follow the plan.” He moved away to another window in the side of the room. A quick glance revealed the emergency ladder.

“What? Why?” Jinx asked.

“They’re moving, so I gotta move too, tell them to get here fast.” Chan unlocked the window and used the stair to pull himself out. He barely looked as he skipped steps to go down the ladder, jumping to the floor once he was close enough.

“Nova you idiot, stay where you are!” Jinx screamed in his ear, and Chan considered taking it off when he heard the sound of a door closing, he had to move.

“Talk to you later!” He pulled the earpiece out in the middle of Bambam’s protests and ran towards the targets.

The one standing guard noticed him and immediately opened fire. The air in front of Chan was filled with light and the sizzling sound of something coming in contact with fire. He ran over the shells of the bullets and used the criminal’s surprise to land a punch on his face. Something cracked, and the man stepped back before returning the hit. Chan stopped it with his arm and landed another hit on the man’s stomach. He took the gun and hit him on the head, rendering him unconscious.

“Nova is here!” Chan’s face turned as he heard another man yell. 

The sound of gunshots urged him to hide behind the van. A man ran in front of it and got in the driver’s seat. Chan cursed as he heard the engine turn on and shoot at the wheels to pop them.

“Son of a bitch!” The driver yelled and got out of the van.

He kicked Chan on the back before he could finish incorporating. Chan rolled on his back and barely managed to move his head as the man struck him with a crowbar. On the next try, Chan grabbed the crowbar and pulled the man to the ground. They rolled, until Chan was on top of him. The man struggled but Chan held the bar still until his hands started glowing. The man screamed and let go of it, but Chan pressed on with it as it started to glow from the heat that irradiated from him. 

“Stop it you crazy asshole!” The man yelled in panic. Chan smiled and struck his head, rendering him unconscious before rolling off and panting.

“Tired already, Nova?” Chan raised his eyes to encounter a woman standing on top of the van. He had never seen her before, and couldn’t picture a reason as to why she would be there.

“Who are you?” Chan panted, standing up with the crowbar still on his hand.

“That’s a good question.” She jumped off the van, and as the ground sunk around her, Chan chuckled. 

“Of course.” 

The punch sent Chan flying backwards until he was stopped by a car. He groaned in pain as he hit the floor but immediately tried to get up. His eyes lit up as the light focused on his hands and shoot out like bullets. As the woman was hit by a couple of them, she stumbled to cover herself with the van. Chan seized the opportunity and ran towards it. The energy accumulated in his hands exploded in contact with the van, and sent it flying away, taking the woman with it until they both stopped by crashing into a building.

A mix of guns and drugs dropped from the battered van which was launched away by the woman once again. She grabbed a trash can, throwing it towards Chan who came crashing down on the floor. She ran to him and stepped on his chest, stopping him from standing up. Chan grabbed on her leg, and she came down on him with a fist, hitting him with such strength that Chan struggled to not let go of his consciousness. His hands started glowing as he focused the energy in his body on them.

She kicked one of his hands away and stepped on it with such force that he could feel the pain of his bones as they shattered. As she was about to hit him once again, a pair of hands wrapped around her eyes and she stopped moving. Chan felt the weight being lifted and he turned around to spit blood. His face and hand hurt like hell, and he was certain it was going to leave a mark.

“You’re a bit late, I almost had her…” He heaves, wincing as he gets up.

“You can’t just have a close combat with someone that has super strength, Nova.” One of the two men, that now stood in front of him, said.

“You took a bit long to arrive, Disrupter, ” Chan complained, ignoring the previous comment. He looked at the other man, Daydream, who held the woman against him with a hand over her eyes. His own eyes were like covered with a cloud. “God, it’s always creepy when he does that, what is she dreaming of now?”

“Trapped in a labyrinth that rebuilds itself every time she tries to destroy it.” Daydream explained, a smile on his lips. A car parked next to them, and Daydream nodded at the driver. “I asked Jinx for it. Disrupter, you should stay back to receive the police, I’ll have Nova take me to the quarters so The Witch can take a look at his injuries.”

“Sounds good, go back safely,” Disrupter agreed, observing as they boarded the car.

Chan helped Daydream board the back of the car with the woman, who had her eyes covered. Then, he sat next to the driver and they were driven home. The pain in his hand was blazing, and now that there was no adrenaline pumping his heart, he almost felt like passing out.

“You should put on your earpiece, I bet Jinx is waiting to scream at you.” Daydream said, barely containing his smile.

“Oh, shut up.” Chan sighed, trying to keep himself from smiling.

* * *

“A whole hand Chan!”

“Hyung…” Chan tried to get the young man’s attention as he went around the room in a rushed manner.

“Do you know how tiring it is to repair just one bone and you bring me a whole broken hand?!” The man yelled, completely ignoring Chan as he finished ordering around his room.

“Youngjae hyung!” Chan yelled too, this time finally grabbing Youngjae’s attention. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s not funny for me to have a broken hand either.” There were also the enormous bruises that made his face look more purple than fair, and that hurt every time he tried to make any sort of gesture. The bruising that hid under his shirt didn’t make anything better, either.

Youngjae sighed and pulled a chair in front of him before sitting down. He examined the injuries with a critical eye, trying to determine just how much it would take to heal something like that.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do much for… that, if you want to have your hand fully healed.” He gestured vaguely at his face.

“It’s okay hyung, my hand is more important right now, I need it to use my powers.”

“Well, maybe if you had used your powers, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place,” Youngjae pointed out. “Okay, give me your hand, like that, carefully. You might want to use that rag to bite on it.” He held the younger’s left hand in his and closed his eyes.

Chan put the rag in his mouth and bit tightly. He knew what came next, having gone through it many times before. Youngjae’s hands started glowing green and enveloped his whole hand in the soft light. Chan couldn’t help but clench his right hand as he screamed into the rag. The burning sensation on his hand was traveling all the way to his arm. 

He couldn’t open his eyes because of the pain, but he could feel in the air how the atmosphere in the room changed as the plants that filled Youngjae’s room started to die out. It was always a fascinating yet terrifying thing to witness. Almost like the plants were gifting Chan their life. 

The process was over soon after and Youngjae let go of his hand. Chan threw the rag away and immediately helped Youngjae onto his bed. The older male could barely hold himself up to give a check to Chan’s hand before closing his eyes with a satisfied grunt. Chan pulled a light sheet over Youngjae before leaving the room. Bambam was waiting for him outside, a playful grin plastered on his face.

“Poor Youngjae hyung, I don’t think anyone else in this company has a more difficult work than him,” Bambam said, grabbing Chan by the arm and pulling him along. “I already called the cleaning service to replace the plants, now we have to go give the mission report.”

Chan didn’t complain and just let himself be pulled around. He felt tired, not nearly as much as Youngjae felt after the healing session, but definitely tired enough to not oppose Bambam. He was guided around the familiar hallways of the building to one of the meeting rooms which was commonly used for mission reports. Bambam stopped him right outside the door to take a look at his face.

“Might be difficult, but if you need help covering all that with makeup, you know where to find me.” The older said, patting Chan on the back before leaving.

The door opened easily and Chan went into the room. It was empty, aside from the huge screen on the right wall, which lit up as soon as he went in. He stood in front of the television and waited in silence for a moment.

“Recognition complete, welcome, Nova, what can I do for you today?” A clear and smooth voice came from the screen. Chan cleared his throat.

“I want to make a mission report, please call the boss.”

“Indeed. Calling Park Jinyoung.” The icon of a vibrating phone appeared on the television. It rang for a couple of seconds before the director picked up and greeted Chan through the camera.

“Good evening, director. I am here to make my mission report.”

“Right, Nova, you were the last one missing. Jinx came here earlier and Daydream did the report in the place of Disrupter. I heard you had your hand broken by one of the targets, is it doing well now?”

“Of course sir, The Witch took care of it.” 

“Glad to hear that, well, what is your report?” The director leaned back on his seat.

“Yes, sir. I scouted in an opposite building like planned, but had to leave my hiding prematurely because the enemies were loading their merchandise into a van and where planning on escaping, so I came down to stop them. Like our informants from the police force said, they had a super with them. It was a tall woman, she seemed my age, maybe a little older. She didn’t give me an identity, and we proceeded to fight. Her power seems to be focused around super strength, if my injuries are any evidence of that. That is when DD Project arrived and helped me.”

“Very well, any other details you might want to add?”

“I think there’s a chance some of the targets escaped the scene during the fight, but I have no idea if they could’ve taken merchandise or not,” Chan added.

“Very well, thanks for your report, have a good evening Nova.”

“You too, director.” The call ended soon afterwards.

Chan stared at the screen for a moment before leaving the room. The exhaustion he felt was such that he decided to skip dinner and instead headed off to the residence. His comfortable bed was waiting for him when he arrived. He changed his clothes and laid down, ready to fall asleep. As soon as he closed his eyes, the memory of the news report he had seen earlier flashed before him. 

He didn’t even sit down before grabbing his phone and opening the browser. The Eye of Providence. Right below a Wikipedia article about the concept was a website, Chan quickly clicked on it. A dark gray page popped up, in the center there was a triangle with an eye that looked down. In white letters, a simple phrase: The truth cannot hide for long, everything will be revealed.

As soon as he scrolled down, dozens of articles starting popping up. Confidential information from every superhero company he had ever heard of was there. Chan felt his heart beat erratically as he reached the end of the page. There was a simple phrase typed in white letters: Lies can shine just as bright, but they are not made of stars. A shaky laugh escaped his lips.

“He’s back,” he mumbled. His hands dialed Bambam’s number immediately. The oldest picked up after a moment. “I need you to help me find someone.”


	3. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My father wrote: "Always question where your loyalties lie. The people you trust will expect it, your greatest enemies will desire it, and those you treasure the most, will, without fail, abuse it.”  
> ― Emily Thorne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short but I still hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments as it motivates me quite a lot to continue writing (not necessarily for this project, just in general).

Loyalty was a miraculous thing. The fact that Bambam had agreed to help him without asking questions, under the promise that he would tell no one felt unbelievable. However Chan would not question it, he needed his help. Knowing that it was too late, they had agreed to meet the next day in the quarters and talk it out.

Bambam was part of JYP’s communication team. His power allowed him to find information among the darkest circles of society. It was a great tool, but Chan knew that not even the Director had a full control over everyone’s powers. And obviously, he had no full control over every single person that plagued the lowest steps of Seoul’s city life.

Chan entered the little office that Bambam had earned after years of working for the company. It was small but cozy, located in a private area of the building, full of the equipment Bambam used when directing missions. Chan was welcomed with a smile, an iced coffee and an empty seat.

“Hello Chan, were you able to sleep last night? You sounded a bit… Excited.” Bambam gestured towards the chair that waited for Chan, and he took a sit.

“I slept well,” he replied with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry… for calling you so late.”

“Yeah, you should practice your manners!” Bambam laughed, sipping on his own cup of iced coffee. “What can I do for you today?”

“I need to find someone, and I can’t think of anyone better than you to ask for help.” Chan grabbed his drink and took a long sip.

“That’s a wise decision, who am I looking for?”

“He used to be part of the company, but he was only here for a few months before he ran away. I’m not sure you ever met him.”

“At the very least he’s going to be in our database. I’m not supposed to have access to that information, but I can ask around.” Bambam grinned. “Who is it?”

“Seo Changbin, the Chimera.” A beat passed.

“You have to be kidding me, Bang Chan.” Bambam leaned closer to him.

“Why? Do you know him?” Chan asked in confusion.

“A little bit, I’ve heard rumors here and there. I didn’t meet him when he was part of the company, but I’ve heard of him through other missions.” Bambam leaned back on his seat and crossed his arms. “This is not going to be easy, if he doesn’t want to be found. It’s gonna be expensive for you.” They stared at each other for a moment. Bambam smirked and Chan sighed.

“What do you want?”

“Take me to some shoe shopping and your debt will be paid.”

“Fine.” Chan stood up from his chair and grabbed his coffee. “But only  _ if  _ you find him.”

“Yes, yes; you know I will. Now go train or whatever! I’ll call you.”

Chan rolled his eyes and left the room with a gesture of his hand.

* * *

Jinyoung and Jaebum were occupied reviewing the information of the case they were working on when Chan entered the meeting room. They greeted him with a smile and a nod before he sat down in front of them, grabbing the folder that had been placed there for him. Inside was the information on the super they had captured the day before; her name was Song Jimin, 24 years old. 

She had been promised a good buck in exchange for protection. There were at least ten more supers working for the organization, but their identities were unknown by her. The existence of one more headquarter had been revealed as well, along with six more around the country. There were, at least, a couple hundred of people involved as targets. It was certainly a pretty big mission.

“I am guessing Bambam led the interrogation?” Chan muttered after going over the papers once.

“Of course, his voice is like a cheat code for these things.” Jinyoung smiled, putting his own folder down. “She revealed the locations of a few more headquarters, but with the targets that escaped yesterday it is possible some of them might have changed.”

“However, it’s been arranged with the police that we will continue cooperating with them so we can hunt them down faster,” Jaebum added. “I think the Director is going to add some other supers to help us, at least one per location, probably.”

“Sounds reasonable, do you have any idea when we start?” Chan asked, pulling out a map from the folder. All the headquarters were marked in it.

“Tomorrow night, so we need to get ready.” Jinyoung raised from his seat. “Heard from Youngjae your hand was a hassle to fix, I can see he didn’t have much more strength to help you with the rest.” He gestured towards him. Chan made a face, which immediately made him grimace in pain.

“You should really ask Bambam to cover that up for you, man,” Jaebum added.

“Just leave it, I’ll be fine.” Chan stood up as well. “I’ll go train, see you tomorrow?”

“See you there.”

* * *

Chan put on his mask and took the elevator to the basement. Jaebum met him there, and they walked together to the car that was to drive them to their location. They had been sent to Incheon to continue the mission of the previous days. It was uncertain if the location they were going to scout had been emptied or not, but their job was to verify that.

“I can’t believe I’m separating DD Project in a mission,” Chan said teasingly.

“You should be ashamed that your carelessness has me here; Youngjae said that if you return with a broken something again, he’s not healing you,” Jaebum bit back.

“Ouch.”

The driver left them a few streets away from the target and they walked from there. It was all industrial buildings and warehouses, mostly abandoned; an obvious yet appropriate place for a secret headquarter. With their senses focused on spotting watchmen, they made their way to the back of the objective. It was dark, full with trash and debris that made the way tricky, but they eventually made it.

The back of the building was almost a solid brick wall. There were windows at the very top, that probably led to the second floor, and a single metal door that had been blocked recently. Chan tried to force it open or remove the blockage, but it proved an impossible task and using his powers would’ve called a lot of attention to them.

“No can do,” he said after trying for a few minutes. “Pretty much closed for us.”

“I think you forget there are no closed doors for me.” Jaebum extended his hands and touched the door and the blockage.

They were surrounded by dust as the objects Jaebum was touching disappeared in front of their eyes. Chan covered his nose and mouth to keep himself from inhaling the waste as the older worked his magic and created an opening for them. When he was them, darkness was able to stare back at them from inside the building. Chan let out a low whistle.

“I always forget how creepy your power is.”

“I am not called Disrupter for nothing.” Jaebum snickered and entered the warehouse. Chan followed suit.

There was no source of light inside, and only a few meters were visible thanks to the entrance Jaebum had made. It felt suspicious, like it was purposefully empty and waiting for them. As they tried to go deeper, it felt like the darkness was wrapping around them, and it became literal when they saw the entrance disappear before their eyes.

Like on command, Jaebum and Chan stood back to back and got into fighting positions. They could barely see their own hands before their eyes, so Chan closed his eyes and focused on the warmth coursing through his veins, about to burst past his skin. And he kept it there, right on the surface. He became light. And when he opened his eyes, the darkness stared him right in the eye.

“Bu.” She smiled.

Chan didn’t have time to reach as he was flung to his side. His skin went cold and Jaebum shouted. He groaned in pain and stood up, but it was difficult to tell right from left when there was nothing but void.

“It was foolish of you to come here, superheroes. That’s what they call you, isn’t it?” The voice came from every direction at the same time. It was painfully loud. “Still, I’m glad I’m being visited by such popular figures like you, Nova and Disrupter!” She laughed. “Or should I say, Bang Chan and Im Jaebum?”

“How do you know that?” Jaebum shouted, and Chan tried to make his way towards him.

“Information is a valuable market, dear.”

As he ran blindly, something struck him on the stomach and sent him to the floor. He cursed. Chan tried to get up but something tangled around his feet and forced him down. He could hear Jaebum struggle too. He fought against the bonds and tried to pull them apart, but soon he felt his hands be immobilized in a similar fashion.

“Fuck!” He cursed, thrashing around. “Disrupter!” He tried to call for help, but from the sound of it, Jaebum was having just as much trouble.

The darkness swallowed him slowly. He could fill it covering his legs, arms, chest, and face, until he was unable to move. It was like being encapsulated by the void, but it was solid, and it was trying to suffocate him. He gasped for air that was not there. His heart was racing to the point he could hear it thumping in his ears. 

Chan closed his eyes, dizzy. There was not much of a difference with having them open. He focused on the heat inside him, the light. He pushed it out with the will he had left, past his blood, his bones and his skin. It was like being set on fire without burning, so warm it hurt. He filled the entire warehouse, and then the air came back to his lungs, and he coughed and trashed until his vision cleared out and he could see the warehouse consuming in flames.

“Disrupter!” He yelled, voice hoarse.

“Over here…” There was a weak response a few meters away. Chan forced himself to walk the distance, and he found Jaebum holding down a girl who was surely the super they had been trying to fight. She seemed to be unconscious.

“We need to get out, there’s nothing of importance here. It’s going to fall down.” Chan helped him pick her up, and they both dragged her out of the warehouse.

“Let’s go back, the fire will attract attention; she might not be the only one roaming around here,” Jaebum said and Chan nodded.

* * *

Bambam walked into the interrogation room with a cup of iced coffee in his hands. He put the coffee in front of the girl with a smile and took a sit in front of her, crossing his legs gracefully. She stared at him, completely ignoring the glass. Bambam raised an eyebrow and pointed at the coffee, but the girl refused to look away from his eyes, so he relented.

“Well then, what’s your name?” Bambam leaned on the table, but the girl kept her silence. “You’re really going to make me do this,” he sighed. “Tell me your name.” There was a glint of green in his eyes when he spoke this time. The girl grimaced as she tried to keep her mouth shut, but the words spilled out of his mouth.

“Lee Yoobin,” she whispered.

Bambam couldn’t help the chills that ran down his spine. There was something sinister about the way she kept staring him down. Her clothes were completely dark, her hair was cut short and was also a dark brown; it was just her overall vibe that spoke to Bambam about shadows and nightmares.

“Age?”

“22 years old.”

“Why were you helping that criminal organization?” There was silence, so he had to press further. “Answer me.” 

“They offered a good pay for the job.”

“And why would you accept it?”

“Do you think all of us with powers have the chance to belong to a company?” She bit back. “It’s not so simple, Mr. Jinx; we’re growing in quantity and diversity, some of us are feared, or not found useful enough by the non-supers. There’s no place for every single one of us. Not now, at least, in a world governed by humans.”

“Yet you were working by those normal humans.”

“Unfortunately, money is the key to survival, and they pay very well. They’re afraid of betrayal.”

“The only difference between you and me, is that at least I’m using my powers for good.” Bambam snapped, uncrossing his legs and looming over the table.

“The only difference between you and me,” Yoobin repeated. “Is that I know where my loyalty stands, and it is not with the humans. It is time to wake up Mr. Jinx, the truth will be revealed soon.”

“You’re just one of those stupid extremists, I’m done with you.” Bambam stood up, almost throwing the chair to the floor, and left the room.

Chan was waiting for him outside, leaning on the wall. As soon as Bambam came out, he stood straight and stopped him from walking away. It was easy to say Bambam was a bit more than pissed out, but he still stopped to listen to him.

“Are you done with her? Can I ask her some questions?”

“I don’t know why you would want to do that, but go ahead man. Just be careful, she’s one of those New World extremists,” Bambam said and turned around to leave. “Ah, right.” He stopped. “Come to my office when you’re done.”

Chan agreed before entering the room. He took a sit in front of Yoobin, moving carefully and keeping his eyes on her. Yoobin looked at him and a smile formed on her lips. It wasn’t a gentle smile, rather, it felt like she was finally getting an award she had been working hard for. It unsettled him.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Bang Chan, or should I call you Nova?” She chuckled. “Does it matter though?”

“How do you my name?” Chan asked.

“I was assigned to give you a message. He mentioned you were made of stars, and I didn’t quite believe it, but after seeing you blow down that whole building, I have to admit I was wrong.” 

“Who is ‘he’?” Chan leaned closer to her on the table, and Yoobin’s smile grew wider.

“Whisper sends his regards.” 

Chan stood up and the chair came crashing down with a loud bang. The table rattled when he leaned on it, and the iced coffee fell down, spilling all over. Yoobin laughed, not quite surprised by his reaction, and returned the stare that Chan was directing at her.

“You are lying.”

“I am telling you the truth, he did mention you would react like this.”

“Where is he?” 

“I know as little as you, he’s not stupid. Why would I be sent to a place that has someone like Jinx?” She shook her head. “He asked me to tell you the game is on, and that he wishes you the best of luck.”

Chan stormed out of the room before she could even finish her sentence, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

“Took you long enough to come,” Bambam said, he looked calm already. Chan himself had worked on calming down before meeting his friend.

“Yeah, things got a bit busy.” 

“What did you want to ask her about?”

“You know, about her powers,” Chan lied. “ I wanted to know how he did that shadowy thing, it was terrifying.” He exaggerated his shaking and made a face of disgust, which had Bambam laughing at him. Chan smiled. “Anyways, what did you call me for?”

“Ah, right.” Bambam turned his chair to face the computer. “It took me a couple of days, but I did what you asked.” He typed away on the keyboard.

“Really? Already?”

“What can I say? I take my job very seriously.” Bambam grinned and turned the screen around to show him. “I found Changbin, the Chimera. I couldn’t find exactly where he lives, but this is his job.”

The screen showed him the facade of a one store building; it was a car repair shop called Kim’s Car Service. It was small and simple, certainly not a place that would raise suspicions.

“I’m going to send you the address, he’s now going by the name of Lee Jongmin, which is why he was hard to find,” Bambam explained while sending him the information. “I had to claim a couple of favors.”

“Thanks hyung, I owe you one.” Chan opened his phone and looked over the information he had just received.

“Don’t worry about it, just remember about the shows and we’re set.” Bambam smiled. “Good luck.”


	4. Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The past is never where you think you left it.”  
> ― Katherine Anne Porter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I’m posting a day earlier cause there’s gonna be a change in schedule~ From now on I’m gonna be posting on Sundays, since I start school tomorrow, and between that and school I won’t get to post in time.
> 
> This chapter is a bit slow, but we’re getting to meet some important characters and bg for later on ;) Enjoy and don’t forget to leave kudos and comments!

It had been a long time since Chan had chosen to take a free day from work. It was difficult when your work was to protect others from danger and crime, because those were things that never took a break. However, Chan was disciplined and dedicated, so a free day was a reward he deserved.

The place where Changbin worked at was small and humble. There were several men working on repairing three different cars, moving around to exchange tools or help each other with something. He looked around for a moment, ignoring the suspicious gazes. But when he couldn’t find Changbin, he finally decided to ask a man that was standing to the side sipping on a coke.

“Good afternoon sir, I was wondering if a certain Lee Jongmin works here?” Chan asked, keeping a friendly tone.

“Who’s asking?” The man retorted, obviously suspicious of him.

“I’m Bang Chan, we used to be friends some time ago, and I really need to talk to him.” He explained, hoping it didn’t sound as suspicious as it was.

“He’s in his break so he left to eat lunch, you can wait for him here or check at the little restaurant a few blocks from here. He usually goes there.” The man said after a moment of careful consideration.

Chan thanked him profusely before leaving the business. He walked in the direction the man had pointed out before, and not long after stumbled with the little homemade-food restaurant he had mentioned. He went in and was received by a young woman working there as a cashier. With a little nod of his head, Chan looked around the restaurant.

He spotted Changbin sitting down on a little cushion at the back of the room. He was laughing as he spoke with the older woman cooking behind the bar, it was obvious that he was a regular there. Chan approached him without hesitation. He could notice how the black hair had grown and been left uncared for, how his hands had become rough and his clothes stained from work, yet he felt familiar. 

He wasn’t even sure Changbin would recognize him, they had both changed a lot. But he still took the chance and sat in front of Changbin, at his table. It took the younger a moment to realize, but when he finally looked at Chan, recognition gleamed on his eyes.

“Hey.” Chan smiled, just a bit awkward. He could see different emotions flash on Changbin’s face, before his expression settled into a cold one that let nothing out.

“What are you doing here?” Changbin asked, his voice almost a whisper.

“It’s not what you think, relax. I come here for personal matters,” Chan explained, knowing well what it might look like to the other.

“I think we should go outside,” Changbin decided after a moment of consideration, standing up and leaving the restaurant with Chan following behind him. They walked towards an empty alleyway next to the restaurant. It was quiet despite the hour, and private enough that they didn’t need to worry about being heard.

“They’re not looking for me, are they?” Changbin asked after a little while. He sounded uncertain, almost fearful.

“They aren’t, I promise,” Chan assured him. “I’m here on my own. I’m not even working right now, it’s my free day.”

“Right.” Changbin nodded, relaxing. “So what brings you here, how did you find me?”

“I used some help…” Chan sighed. “I’m gonna cut to the chase. I need to call in the favor you owe me.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, I know it’s been a few years, but it is important.” Chan insisted when he saw Changbin hesitate.

“What do you want me to do?” Changbin asked, relenting.

“Help me find Woojin.”

“What?” Changbin raised his voice, before clearing his throat and lowering it again. “He disappeared hyung, a year ago, remember? You should leave it.”

“He’s back. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not being obsessive, he  _ is  _ back. He sent me a message with someone.” Chan explained, trying to keep his voice down. “You have to help me, you’re the only one I can trust with this, you’re virtually a ghost.” Changbin stared at him for a moment before sighing and nodding.

“Fine. Got any starting clues?”

“Just this one.” Chan pulled out his cellphone and showed him the page of The Eye of Providence.

“Isn’t that the site they’ve been mentioning in the news? What does this have to do with him?” Changbin looked at him in disbelief. Chan scrolled to the bottom of the page and showed him the phrase. “Lies can shine just as bright, but they are not made of stars… Well, fuck.”

“Please help me with this.”

“Fine, I will, but it will take some time.” Changbin grabbed Chan’s phone and typed out an address in his notes. “This is where I live, meet me there in a couple of days.” Chan nodded. He put away his phone and turned around, ready to leave. “Hyung,” Changbin called again. Chan turned around. “What will you do when we find him? If we do.”

“I don’t know yet, but you’ll be the first to know.” Chan promised, and left.

* * *

Changbin owned a little apartment in a cheap building. One bedroom, one restroom and a tiny kitchen-dinner where he spent most of his time. He had gotten a job good enough to pay the bills and built his life around it, giving up what could have been luxuries and fame. He didn’t want any of that. Instead he had a little something else.

His name was Jeongin. He had barreled into Changbin’s life when he had tried to rob his apartment and had been caught red handed. Jeongin looked tired and weak, and Changbin didn’t have the soul to call the police on him or throw him back on the streets. So, instead, he had gotten him a job and the left side of his already small bed. Good thing neither of them occupied much space.

Jeongin was one of the only people that knew his true identity. He was like Changbin’s little brother, always following him around with a smile but also rejecting almost every display of affection he offered. It sounded like an exaggeration, to say he was Changbin’s light and the reason for getting home at the end of the day, but it was the truth. 

Changbin didn’t really know that much about the youngest. Neither of them were ones to ask many questions, it was a protection mechanism. He knew that Changbin had grown up in an orphanage and received the basic education from them. Jeongin had told him once that he had turned to crime after he had failed to get an scholarship for college.

“It doesn’t matter,” the youngest had said. “I didn’t really have many aspirations, it’s better if I don’t waste everyone’s time like that.”

Changbin had wanted to tell him he was wrong. But who was he to give advice when he had barely passed high school and had turned himself into an outcast by running away. So he had kept silent and had promised to himself that he would support Jeongin whoever he could. He would make sure that the world was a kinder place for the younger than it had been for him.

Changbin wished he could have said no to Chan, but it was thanks to him that he had been able to start a new life away from his past. Training for JYP had been horrible. The expectations were high, and the goals even higher. Changbin had not been able to fit, and so he had taken the way out; Chan had helped him do it, going so far as to find him someone that could give him a new identity. And so, Changbin had vanished for the rest of the world.

The idea of researching Woojin was not attractive to him. Woojin knew everything about his past, his power was a dangerous one. Changbin didn’t know the reason behind his disappearance, since it happened way after he had left JYP, but he had heard bad rumors. In the end, everyone had pronounced him dead. Everyone except Chan.

He understood the reasoning behind Chan’s borderline obsession with Woojin. Changbin didn’t think it was excusable however, but he understood it. He owed it to Chan as well, so he would do it. The clue he had been given was not helpful nor solid; anyone could have written a phrase like. But it was a phrase so particular that Changbin was willing to snoop around.

There were a few people that could help him track down the origin of the website. He was planning to ask around first to see if he could get any clue that could guide him to the real location. If nothing helped, he would have to meddle around the city and search on the lower circles. Changbin doubted Woojin was using his real identity to go around in a world that knew him as a traitor.

Changbin sent out a few messages his contacts through the old laptop he had. He was unable to afford a cell phone and it was easier to keep his life a secret if he was virtually untraceable. Everyone replied to him that they would try to investigate, but that it might cost him a bit. He only hoped Chan had enough money to use for this plan, because it was not going to be cheap. Especially if he was planning to keep it a secret from the company.

* * *

Chan was summoned a couple of days after to Changbin’s house. He had no idea what had been of the youngest after helping him leave, but he certainly hadn’t expected the state of his life to be like that. Seeing his tiny apartment had made Chan feel a little guilty for not trying to stay in contact with Changbin. He couldn’t change the past though, so he would have to deal with it.

“Are you sure this place is safe?” Chan asked, unable to stop the question from going past his lips. He immediately regretted it when he saw Changbin’s hurtful look.

“Yes, hyung. I am sure.” Changbin huffed. “I know the apartment is not a big deal, but it is discreet. I do have a roommate but I told him I’d be using the house today. He agreed to stay out until later.”

“Oh, a roommate.” Chan wriggled his eyebrows, and received a punch on his arm that had clearly been aimed at his face.

“Don’t disrespect me in my own house or I’ll kick you out Bang Chan.” Changbin growled before leaving to get his laptop.

Chan closed his mouth and took a seat at the little kitchen. He had overstepped a boundary right there. His relationship with Changbin was not what it had been in the past, and that was now very clear to him. This was now about a debt being paid. But Chan still hoped that there was still a little bit of the old Changbin in there that would accompany him in his self-proclaimed mission.

“So,” Changbin started as he put his laptop on top of the table and sat next to Chan. “My friends weren’t able to find that much, the website has a Korean domain but when we try to trace the creator, it just shows a bunch of shifting random locations inside Korea. At least we’re certain he’s still in here. Or if anyone’s doing this for him, they’re here.”

“Well, that’s a start. At least I won’t have to get plane tickets to Alaska,” Chan joked, smiling at Changbin, who didn’t look even remotely entertained.

“Please stop trying to be funny.” 

“Okay.”

“They’re trying to trace back to when he bought the website to see if we can find a lead to his new identity,” Changbin explained. “But hyung, you this will be expensive, right?”

“Yeah, the good news is that I’m not one to spend my money that much. I have too much work for that, don’t worry about me,” Chan said with a reassuring smile.

“I’m not worried about you, it’s me they’re going to look for if you fail to pay them.” Changbin brushed him off, closing his laptop. 

“Ouch. Seo Changbin, you wound me.” Chan joked again, trying to help make the situation better. Changbin ignored him.

“I’m going to start looking around for information by foot while they do that, I’m bound to find something if I dig deep enough, but don’t keep your hopes too high.”

“Okay, well, this sounds very promising so far.” Chan nodded. “I guess I should leave now though, don’t want to keep your roommate out for too long.” Changbin nodded and accompanied him to the door. Chan stopped right as he was about to leave and turned around. “Can I ask you why are you being so... crude to me?”

“Well, why do you think?” Changbin sighed. “You represent everything I ran away from Chan, I don’t know. We used to be good friends, but it has been almost three years; I thought I had left it all behind.” 

“Oh.” Chan nodded. “ Okay, goodnight Changbin.”

* * *

Changbin spent the next week roaming the streets late at night, after he finished his work shift. He had a network of about five people looking for clues that could lead him to Woojin. Chan had been sending him money, which he used to buy their silence and information; he tried to keep it down to a limited number of people, afraid that someone could trace it back to him and Chan, and so far he had been successful.

The reports were varied. There was still no clear information about Woojin, but the name of The Eye of Providence kept appearing in different parts of the city as rushed whispers and confident threats. Every common super knew about it. Some of them talked about it with piqued interest, some whispered it with fear, and others acclaimed it with admiration. None of these made Changbin feel comfortable. 

It seemed to work like an entity, a group of people rather than one person. It was everywhere he looked in the dark corners of the city, something was happening; people’s minds were transforming. Changbin felt the need to run away growing with each step he gave and every piece of information he got.

Chan visited his apartment a few more times, bringing him information on the supers they had captured and that Chan had discovered were part of The Eye of Providence. There were more than they had expected, but yet a small portion compared to all the rumors that Changbin had heard while investigating around the city.

When Chan visited that day, they sat in silence on the kitchen table and stared at The Eye of Providence’s website. It hadn’t changed since the time Chan had introduced it to him. The same phrases, articles and images where there; it seemed almost pointless to look at it, but the rumors shared on the streets pointed to it every single time.

“I’m certain it is him, he’s the only one with the ability to do something like this,” Chan muttered over the table, staring at the computer.

“What about Jinx? Doesn’t he have the power to control people’s minds too?” Changbin asked, not very convinced despite his obvious fear.

“Yes, but this is different. Jinx can force you to say or do something, but he can’t change your mind.” Chan bit his lip. “He can force you to choose something, but Woojin doesn’t do that.” He didn’t say more, so Changbin went back to look at the computer. “You know what, I’m going to get us something to eat, I’ll order some pizza and chicken; we deserve this.”

Changbin didn’t have the heart to reject the suggestion. He rarely ever had the chance to afford such luxuries, and he had been doing all that work for Chan, it actually seemed quite fair. He went to pick it up when the delivery guy knocked on the door. When he opened the door, he saw it out of the side of his eye, the battering wings of a small moth flying away.

“Yang Jeongin, you have five seconds to show yourself.”


	5. Allies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them.”  
> — Winston Churchill
> 
> Chan meets a new ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Sunday is here! Which means a new chapter of Versus~ I was really excited for this chapter cause I get to introduce one of my favorite characters, so I really hope you all look forward to it as well! I also want to shamelessly plug my k-pop and writing [blog](http://not-majestic-bluenicorn.tumblr.com) here where you can message me and also see what I’m up to in my fics. Enjoy the chapter!

Five seconds went by in complete silence before Jeongin poked his head from the corner of the hallway. Changbin stared him down, but Jeongin had the guts to gift him a full smile before running towards him, followed by the tiny moth that struggled to keep the pace.

“Hyung! You bought pizza? Are we celebrating something?” Jeongin smiled, and Changbin had to remind himself that he was supposed to be angry. 

“For how long have you been spying?” Changbin asked, but Jeongin limited himself to a sheepish smile. As Changbin wondered how to get the information out of him, Chan opened the door and peeked from behind him.

“Who is this, hyung?” Jeongin regarded Chan with interest. It was uncommon that the oldest would invite someone into their home, he was reserved and lived by a fake identity after all. Before Changbin could invent anything, Chan was already walking out of the room and extending one hand to Jeongin.

“Hello, my name is Chan, but you might know me best as Nova.” Chan flashed a smile at him, and Jeongin’s eyes widened so that his expression became a funny one.

“Hyung!” Changbin voice went an octave higher as he looked at him, alarmed. Wasn’t this supposed to be a secret meeting?

“Holy shit.” Jeongin’s mouth dropped open.

“Jeongin!” Changbin exclaimed. Even more alarmed after hearing the bad words come out from the youngest’s mouth.

“You have Nova in your home?!” Jeongin ignored the scolding.

“Unfortunately so.” He muttered.

“Who’s this?” Chan asked, taking the chicken and pizza from Changbin’s arms and moving it to the kitchen, followed by the two of them.

“My roommate.” Changbin sighed. “Do you go around telling everyone about your secret identity or is this a one time thing?” Chan only smiled at him, apologetically.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re friends with Nova?!” Jeongin chimed in once again, still unable to take his eyes off of Chan.

“Because we’re not friends and you’re not supposed to know, now answer me, for how long have you been spying us?” Changbin insisted, completely ignoring the hurt expression on Chan’s face as he stared Jeongin down.

“Maybe... a week or so?” Jeongin answered hesitantly, avoiding Changbin’s gaze. Changbin was about to scold him when Chan started speaking.

“Well, that’s raw talent right there, I couldn’t even tell, and I’m trained in these things.” Chan exhaled in admiration. “How did you do it?” Changbin wanted to stop him from encouraging Jeongin, but there was no stopping now. Jeongin seemed like he was about to explode from happiness.

“This little friend helped me!” Jeongin let the moth land on his hand and showed it to Chan. “Our senses are connected, mixed even; I can project myself into its little body and perceive everything around it.” 

“Fascinating.” Chan chuckled.

“God, just stop talking and eat the food, it’s going to grow cold.” Changbin interrupted, pushing the pizza towards them.

He had to admit that seeing them interacting made him feel insecure. The way Jeongin looked at Chan with admiration had him squirming with jealousy. Jeongin was the most precious person in his life, and he didn’t want to think that there could be someone Jeongin admired more other than him, even if those thoughts were selfish and idealistic. However, seeing Jeongin glowing with confidence and happiness stirred something in him; maybe it wasn’t too bad.

The topic morphed into something more amicable as they dug into the dinner, the whole topic about spying reduced to a shadow in their minds. Changbin could easily tell that Chan wanted to question Jeongin more about the extent of his powers; it was written on the way he leaned over the small table in Jeongin’s direction and studied his every movement with his attentive eyes. Changbin wanted to believe Chan was not crazy enough to involve a child in his strange campaign against Woojin. But he knew there was no use in believing a blatant lie. 

Once the food had vanished into their stomachs, Changbin asked Jeongin to pick up the trash and dispose of it, just so he could have a brief moment with Chan. He needed to know what was the oldest thinking, to hear it from his own words. If he did end up asking Jeongin to help him, he knew that the decision was for the youngest to make, but he wanted to be prepared for that so he could protect him.

“What are you planning hyung?” Changbin asked, sighing softly as he leaned back on his chair.

“What do you mean?” Chan looked at him, raising an eyebrow in a way that was almost comical.

“Don’t play dumb, please.” Changbin straightened up and looked him in the eyes. “You’re planning to involve him, aren’t you? I was looking at you all the time and I swear to god you’re mister obvious.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it obvious...” he trailed off for a moment. “He’s just very full of life, it seems like he wants to be out there and I thought I could maybe ask him.”

“If... he says yes, please don’t ask anything of him that will put him in danger.”

“I thought you would stop me from asking.” Chan looked at him in surprise. “Why aren’t you trying to stop me?”

“We’re all adults here, and I’m not his guardian, we’re just roommates.”

Jeongin came in at that moment, immediately asking Chan all of the questions he had about being a superhero and what it was like to do missions. He asked him about the most interesting fights and his worst injuries, and Chan answered all the questions with a smile on his face. When the evening came and it was time for the oldest to leave, he said his goodbyes and promised to come again with more dinner. He didn’t ask Jeongin about joining him.

* * *

The call from the police revived the fire inside Chan’s blood. The night had been boring and uneventful so far since they didn’t have a mission planned for that day. When that happened, the heroes took turns for watching the streets in order to stop crimes when they were happening. Superhero companies were at the top of the contact lists in every police precinct, and it was crazy how many calls they could get in just one night asking for help.

“JYP, what is your emergency?” Chan asked jokingly, and welcomed Bambam’s laugh as a sign that he was in a good mood. 

“There’s a kidnapping situation ten minutes from you, five if you run really fast. There police has identified at least three armed men and around ten victims; no injuries have been reported but they heard gunshots a couple of minutes ago.” Bambam reported while sending the location to Chan’s phone.

“Understood, moving there now.”

Bang Chan wasn’t the fastest runner, but when it came to necessity he was able to overcome even his greatest limits. That was exactly what was happening right now, as he ran through the streets in order to reach the back of the building in record time. As he arrived, he wished Disrupter was there with him so he could easily vanish the wall; instead his training helped him pick the lock and force the door down so he could come in.

“Do you have access to the cameras?” He whispered into the communicator.

“Yeah, but they messed with the lights so I can’t see much right now.” He heard the clicking of the keyboard from Bambam’s end. “I think there’s at least five armed people, not three. Be careful Nova.”

He walked towards the front of the building, which seemed to be the headquarters of a small jewelry business that had a few branches around the country. Chan couldn’t quite remember the name of the brand, but he wondered what were they doing so late at night still at their workplace. He opened the last door as quietly as possible and entered the room crawling, using the front desk to hide himself from the kidnappers. A woman that was hiding behind the desk noticed his presence and Chan hurried to cover her mouth before she could ruin his hiding.

When the woman calmed down, Chan moved his hand away and asked him to keep silent with a simple gesture. He peeked from behind the desk carefully and counted the number of people. There were ten laying down on the floor, counting the woman behind the desk, and three standing up with guns pointed towards the victims. He supposed the other two assailants were hiding somewhere else in the building. He took a deep breath, trying to come up with a plan that would allow these people to leave without getting injured.

“Careful!” Bambam yelled.

Chan turned around just in time to see the woman behind the desk press the trigger in her gun. He dodged, the bullet crashing on the ground next to his head. There was a no use in hiding. Chan jumped to his feet and hit the woman on her forearm. The gun rattled to the ground before she was throwing a kick to his face and sending him back against the desk. There was a gunshot, and then his arm started to burn. The wound was superficial, but it bled and poured out of his ripped suit.

He threw himself for the woman’s gun before she could pick it up and shot her in the leg, immobilizing her. From the floor, he saw one of the other men come at him from the side of the desk, so he put up a barrier that covered him from the bullets. A ray was enough to send the man blasting against the wall, rendering him unconscious, before he was standing again and pointing his gun at another man.

Everyone on the floor was screaming, trying to run away from the gunshots. A few of the victims ran out the building as the kidnappers were too busy fighting with Chan, who kept his barrier on. They couldn’t hurt him, but he also couldn’t shoot with the gun. Physical force would have to be enough. He ran towards one of the men who tried to shoot their way into Chan’s barrier with no avail. He barreled into him and pushed him onto the floor as his barrier shattered in fragments of light. Chan put all his strength into holding the gun against the man’s chest, digging it into his chest. The other man pointing at him barely occupied a fragment of his thoughts. 

He slammed his head against the man fighting under him cleanly and put him out, dropping back and barely avoiding a bullet from the other kidnapper. Chan snatched the gun from the unconscious man and barely managed to throw himself to the side to avoid more bullets. He shot towards the attacker blindly, doing his best to stand up as he went. When the bullets ran out, he used his energy to send the man flying through the window and out of the building.

There was no time to rest as he heard stomping from the floor on top of him, and he knew the other attackers were coming. He urged the people that were left inside out of the building and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He could feel his forehead bulging painfully due to head butting that one man, but there was no time to waste. Chan focused his energy and felt the heat rise in his blood, turning his vision white. When the men came and tried to shoot him, the energy was liberated, causing a explosion that destroyed all of the windows in the floor and sent the men flying against the walls.

Chan dropped to his hands and knees and did his best to catch his breath. He felt dizzy and it was difficult to point where the pain in his body was coming from until he started gaining clarity and his arms gave out on him. Excruciating pain came from his left shoulder, where he had been shot at some point; where the graze on his right arm had been painful, this was beyond bearable.

“Jinx,” he panted. “I’ve been fucking shot and I think I’m going to pass out.” He groaned, trying to press the wound on his left shoulder. “Good fucking lord why did you sent me, someone who has to fight close-range, to a fight with fucking guns?”

“You were the only one close enough; an ambulance is already on its way, just wait a little,” Bambam urged him. “Come on man, stay with me.” Chan felt policeman rush around him to arrest the men and tend to his wounds, he chuckled.

“Too late.” He passed out.

* * *

Every company had a small hospital building to treat the gravest injuries of their superheroes, when they lost too much blood or even body parts, to be healed by heroes like Youngjae. Usually only company members were allowed in for maximum safety. Therefore, Chan was very surprised when he saw Jeongin sitting next to him when he woke up. Jeongin was sitting on a chair next to the bed, peeling and snacking on an orange while he waited for Chan to wake up.

“What are you doing here?” His voice was groggy with sleep. Jeongin immediately put the orange away and sat upright, eager to share.

“Jinx snuck me in! Can you believe it? Jinx himself snuck me in against the rules!” The excitement in his voice made Chan laugh. He could certainly believe that Bambam would do something like that without hesitation.

“I’m glad to see you’re happy as ever, but why are you here?” Chan repeated his question, pressing the bed’s control so it would help him straighten up a little.

“Changbin said he didn’t have your cell phone number so I had to ask around, then Jinx hyung heard me and got me in,” Jeongin explained. “Does it hurt a lot?”

“Not right now, no.” The medicines kept him calm and sedated, there wasn’t much pain. “I’ll recover fast. Why did you need my cell phone number for though?”

“Remember I spied on your conversation with Changbin hyung yesterday?” Chan nodded. “I know he wouldn’t approve of this, but I want to help you look for him.” Both knew he was referring to Woojin, but it was safer not to say that name out loud.

“It could be dangerous though.” Chan pointed out, like it wasn’t obvious.

“When you live on the streets for a while, nothing seems too dangerous.” Jeongin chuckled. “Plus, I know some people that could be really helpful to you hyung. There’s more potential in the streets than superhero companies could ever phantom.”

It sounded promising. If Chan could build a little team of underground people to help him find and fight Woojin, he wouldn’t need to worry about exposing the truth to the rest of the company and the media. People like Jeongin were wrongly considered to be nobodies, but Chan knew they had a lot to offer to the world. He hummed, considering the idea before nodding.

“I mean, it is your choice, I don’t think I would be able to stop you if you wanted to help on your own, so instead I’ll accept your help.” He said, smiling when Jeongin’s face lit up brightly. He extended his hand and smiled when Jeongin hurried to pull his phone out. “When can I meet these friends you were mentioning?” He asked as he typed down his number in the contacts, before giving it back.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I’ll take care of it.” Jeongin stood up and walked to the door. “Expect my call soon!”


	6. Two sides of a coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You must always do what you feel is right, as you will have to live with your decisions for the rest of your life”   
> ― Mimi Novic
> 
> Jeongin introduces his friends to Chan and Changbin discovers some valuable information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally managed to edit today’s chapter, my hands have been in a lot of pain since yesterday plus I’ve had a lot of work so I couldn’t get around to it until now! Still, I hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to leave kudos and comments, it keeps me motivated~

Chan thanked the nurse for bringing his belongings as she left the room, closing the door behind her. He turned the volume of the TV up to listen to the news as he changed to the clothes Bambam had brought for him in his previous visit. He had recovered pretty fast. Youngjae had been assisting in his healing, and thanks to him he was out after just a couple of days. Chan couldn’t really remember being in the hospital for more than a few days at a time since he became a superhero. He supposed it had its benefits. The couple of days off recovering in the hospital had been well welcomed. He had needed the rest, even if it had been a forced one. 

_ The rumors and announcements of protests continue to arise around the country. They come from all sorts of superhero companies and independent supers who seem to be siding with The Eye of Providence. Despite the shared work of the police force as well as the most influential companies like SM, the current location of the man behind The Eye of Providence remains unknown. The site has been shutdown a couple of times, but it continues to reopen; and with every reopen comes a new wave of classified information that puts the population in panic. _

Similar reports had been airing since days ago. Changbin had been sending him the newfound information with Jeongin, but the progress was slow. Meanwhile, he had been visiting the website every day to check the new information. So far, Woojin had focused on small but ambitious companies, despite having a few published articles on bigger ones. Woojin was lethal. He would reveal every single piece of information about the ‘bad guys’, their identities and their acts of corruption.

It was difficult to separate the truth from the lies and the misinformation. But everyone was taking the reports in like they needed them for survival, and their thirst kept growing stronger, demanding more and more information. Chan had heard of a couple of companies that were going to announce their closing in the following days. It was just that bad.

His phone rang once, alerting him of a new message. He finished putting on his shoes and checked his cellphone. It was Jeongin, letting him know he knew Chan was being discharged that day, along with an address and a picture. It was a white house, small and well taken-care of; an equally small garden surrounded the entrance, giving it a domestic vibe.

“Come meet my friends.” Read the message, and Chan smiled, thinking of how excited Jeongin had looked about offering his help.

“I’ll see you there.” He replied.

* * *

Changbin reread the mail he had just received over and over. One of his whistleblowers affirmed he had found the location of Woojin’s possible hideout. He reported of people who kept coming in and out while making references to The Eye of Providence; it was not much of a clue, but it was way better than what they had found until now. A physical location meant he had something to investigate. Even if Woojin was not there, he was bound to find something.

“Hyung, are you coming to meet with Chan?” Jeongin asked, sitting on the stool next to him while scrolling on his phone.

“I can’t today Innie, I actually have to run another errand for hyung.” Changbin closed his laptop and looked at Jeongin, who looked back at him. “You’ll be okay, right?”

“Of course! We’re meeting at Minho hyung’s house, it’ll be fine.” Jeongin nodded, shrugging his worries away.

“Somehow that makes me feel more worried,” Changbin said with a straight face, receiving a soft punch on the arm.

“Just because you don’t trust on anyone to be your friend doesn’t mean my friends aren’t nice.” Jeongin huffed.

“I know, I know,” Changbin chuckled. “I was just joking. But I have to go now, so I’ll see you later, okay?” Jeongin nodded enthusiastically as Changbin stood up. “Give hyung a kiss?” He asked, sticking his cheek out.

“Ew grandpa, go away!” Jeongin yelled, scandalized.

“Rude!” Changbin yelled back before patting Jeongin on the head softly and leaving the apartment.

The location his informant had sent in the mail was close to the warehouse that had been blown up a week or so ago. He remembered Chan talking to him about the incident and the super involved. It couldn’t be a coincidence. The area pointed in the report was easy to get to, since he lived close by, but the exact building was still a bit of a mystery. If he was right though, there should be followers around that could provide a bit of insight. 

He decided to take a taxi and then just charge Chan for it. It would be easier if he was dropped close by and then he walked the rest of the way, and it was more accessible by car than it was through any other means of public transportation. When he arrived, he waited until the taxi was out of sight before activating his powers. He could understand why Chan had come looking for him. His powers were discreet, useful for things that required to be done in the shadows.

His vision always turned a bit blurry when he became invisible. He didn’t like to do it much because in the long term it gave him insufferable headaches, but at moments like that it was his only option. The first few minutes were of complete solitude. There were no clear signs of people there, so he decided to walk towards the destroyed warehouse. As he drew closer, he started to distinguish the sounds of steps and hushed whispers, until he eventually found a group of people sitting at the shadow of a large building.

The Eye of Providence. They were mentioning it over and over in their conversation. Changbin couldn’t get too close without risking being discovered, but he managed to pick enough information up. There was a warehouse distinguishable by the eye sign on its walls where all of them received information and orders. It was then that Changbin realized just how big of a movement this really was, and for a moment, his heart stopped at the discovery that the peace he had looked for was going to be no more.

* * *

The address Jeongin had sent him led Chan to a peaceful neighborhood. All the houses were small and had a homely vibe to them that made him think of his parents and grandparents, whom he hadn’t visited in years due to his busy schedule. Despite all of them looking very similar, Chan was able to find to find the house easily. Jeongin was standing right outside, waiting for him and waving once Chan had been in sight to make sure he could find his way.

The house looked even better in real life. It wasn’t just homely, it also gave off a feeling of freshness and dedication. Chan wondered if whoever lived there had maybe hired a gardener to take care of the front side of the house. Whatever was the reason, it was the nicest place Chan had been to in a long time. It made him feel comforted.

“Hyung! I’m glad you made it.” Jeongin gave him a hug and opened the door for him, insisting he should go inside.

“Yeah, it wasn’t too difficult to find this place with you being so loud out there.” Chan nodded, following him into the house.

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“Actions speak louder than words.” Chan grinned.

Jeongin huffed as he guided him into a living room. There were two individual sofas and a loveseat, arranged around a little coffee table that stood in front of a TV set. Chan took a seat as indicated and watched Jeongin leave the room again. He used the brief time given to himself to observe the rest of the room as laughter erupted in the kitchen.

There was a little bookcase on the opposite corner that was filled with more pictures than it was with books. He didn’t get to look at them enough when Jeongin returned and urged him to sit down on the loveseat right as another man came in. He seemed to be older than Jeongin. There was a gentle smile on his face, probably a remnant of whatever had made him laugh earlier, and he was holding a small tray with cups of tea on it.

“Chan hyung, this is Minho hyung, he lives here.” Jeongin introduced them as Minho put the tray on the coffee table before shaking Chan’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, thanks for having me here.” Chan said, but his formality was brushed away with a simple smile.

“There’s no need to be so formal,” Minho said while sitting on one of the individual sofas. “Jisung and Jeongin bring people here all the time, the house is too big for just one person.”

Chan nodded, unable to pull his eyes away from Minho. There was something in his expression that spoke of knowledge Chan could barely begin to imagine. It gave him goosebumps. Yet, his personality was calm and cheerful, almost like he knew what impression he gave to others and so he was trying to alleviate it.

“The others should be here shortly,” Jeongin added, sitting next to chan on the loveseat. “Unfortunately, Hyunjin hyung is not going to be able to come, but I’m sure Felix hyung can speak on his behalf.”

“And Jisung just about woke up, so he’ll join us once he gets his hair to settle down.” Minho’s tone was teasing when he spoke of the later; Chan couldn’t help but smile a little.

They chatted for a moment, enjoying the tea that Minho had prepared, when Chan heard loud steps coming from the stairs and guessed it was Jisung, who Minho had just mentioned. He looked as sleepy as could be expected from someone who had just woken up, and flopped himself right on top of Minho’s lap, almost causing him to spill the tea all over.

“Now, that is not how you welcome a visitor.” Minho teased, patting Jisung’s thigh. Jisung mumbled something unintelligible and rubbed his eyes. His hair was still sticking out in weird directions.

“Well, since his first impression can barely be worse, this is Jisung hyung, he usually has more energy than this, but alas.” Jeongin turned his eyes, almost disappointed of the impression his friend was leaving.

“It’s okay, I’m no better when I wake up,” Chan said with a chuckle, to which Jisung beamed.

“Finally, someone who understands me!” He exclaimed, sleepiness long forgotten.

The bell rang a couple of minutes later, and Jeongin immediately stood up to answer the door. Jisung, who was starting to look a little more decent, stood up and sat on the armchair instead, giving Minho some space to maneuver his tea and speak with the rest. Jeongin came back not long after, followed by a quiet, red-haired boy that would have come off as menacing hadn’t it been for the smile he directed at Jisung as soon as they spotted each other.

“And this is Felix hyung, last but not least.” Jeongin sat down on the loveseat once again, and Felix went to occupy the other individual sofa after a brief introduction.

Chan took a moment to look at them as they exchanged greetings and talked about what they had been up to in the past few days. They were all very different, as unique as their powers probably were, and he couldn’t help but wonder just what had Jeongin told them to convince them of giving Chan a chance to speak to them. He was grateful nonetheless.

“So, Chan hyung —I hope you don’t mind if I call you that—, what brings you here today? Jeongin said you wanted to ask us something,” Minho asked after a moment, interrupting his thoughts.

“I can’t believe we have Nova visiting our house- ah sorry.” Jisung covered his mouth as Jeongin stared him down. Chan raised an eyebrow in an unspoken question. “He made me promise I would not be a fanboy about this, but come on! You’re Nova himself!” Minho covered Jisung’s mouth with one hand and sighed.

“As I was saying, what brings you here?” Minho repeated.

“Right, so...” Chan started. “Jisung just said it, but I’m Nova, and some of you might remember I used to have a partner in the past, Whisper.” Everyone nodded in agreement, except Felix, who seemed a little confused.

“Ah, right, Felix just got here less than a year ago, I don’t think he knows the whole story,” Minho explained, to which Felix looked grateful.

“It’s okay, it’s not really a long story.” Chan chuckled, but it was an empty laugh. “He left me over a year ago, disappeared of the public eye. We had a fight before he left. A few days ago, I fought with a super who was siding with a popular criminal group, and she said she had a message from Woojin for me.”

“From Woojin? He’s back?” Jeongin couldn’t help but ask, absolutely surprised.

“I fear so.” Chan nodded. “I am certain he’s behind The Eye of Providence.”

“The one that’s been appearing on the news lately?” Felix asked, looking a bit more than confused.

“Yes, I haven’t been able to fully confirm it yet, but I have many reasons to believe it,” Chan added. “As you know, that site has been revealing classified information from different companies, including the superheroes that work for them, which puts lives in danger. Furthermore, supers are starting to protest; everything is falling into chaos.

“I am certainly not asking you to just accept what I say and join me, just, think about it? I do think Woojin is right about some parts, things in the industry need to change... But what he’s doing isn’t right, we’re going to lose more than there is to gain.” Everyone considered his words in silence, there was a lot to process and think about. It wasn’t as much of a simple choice as they wished it was.

* * *

It took him a while, but in the end Changbin did find the right building. It looked almost exactly like every other warehouse in the area, but on one of its walls there was an eye of providence graffitied with blue paint. He looked around the building first, trying to see if there was any other signs that could provide more information, but there was nothing. None of the other buildings he had examined presented any similar signs, so he guessed this was it.

There was no one in his surroundings. Changbin tried opening the door and it gave in easily, allowing his entry. The warehouse was dark and a bit humid. Changbin closed the door behind him and moved along the wall, trying to focus his eyes as much as possible among the darkness. He gave being invisible to try and see better. A few moments after, a light went on in the center of the room, and he immediately became invisible again.

“Well, you arrived earlier than I anticipated.” A voice came from the source of light. Changbin recognized it, and he felt a shiver go down his spine. “I’m sorry I couldn’t receive you better, you didn’t give me much time to prepare.”

Changbin said nothing, but approached the light. It was a laptop, sitting on top of a small desk with a chair resting in front. It was clear everyone had been receiving their orders from that particular place, through the laptop. It was a smart move, Changbin had to admit.

“Hiding like always, I can see,” the voice continued. “Show yourself, Lee Jongmin.” Changbin tensed up, stepping up to stand in front of the laptop. There was an ongoing video call. “Or should I say, Seo Changbin?”

Changbin let the invisibility slip away and showed himself in front of the camera. Woojin smiled with satisfaction and leaned back on his chair, taking a good look at him. Changbin closed and opened his fists a couple of times, trying to take deep breaths.

“Take a seat.” Woojin gestured towards the chair, and Changbin sat down. “How have you been, Changbin? It’s been a very long time since we saw each other. As far as I remember, last time I saw you you were being yelled at by the superiors.”

“Shut up,” Changbin muttered. “What do you want, Woojin?”

“No ‘hyung’? Well, that’s disappointing, I thought we were friends.” Woojin sighed. “If you’re this energetic then I suppose you’re doing fine. It took me a bit long to find you, you know? Channie did a good job at hiding you. Unfortunately, you were a tad careless at covering your tracks when looking for me.”

“So what are you going to do, kill me?” Changbin scoffed, leaning towards the laptop.

“Of course not! I don’t murder people, not supers anyway; I have no reason to kill you.” Woojin shook his head. “Plus you’re the one that’s going to guide Chan to me, so why would I?”

“I’m not guiding Chan to you.”

“Of course you are, because he’s asking you to. And even if you tell him it’s dangerous, he’s going to insist, because he’s that simple minded.” Woojin chuckled. “I know Chan very, very well; even if you don’t guide him, he’ll find someone else to take him to me, that’s what he does.”

“So that’s it, you just want me to continue helping Chan?” Changbin leaned back, feeling tired and a bit confused. 

“Pretty much, but I want you to give him a message too,” Woojin continued. “Tell him he’s not entirely right, there’s so many people he shouldn’t trust; I’m not the one in the wrong.”

“This is stupid, Woojin, I’m not telling him anything.” Changbin stood up.

“How is Jeongin doing?” Changbin stopped on his place and sat back down, covering his eyes. “I can’t do it through a video call, silly; as I said, I’ve been researching you.” Changbin uncovered his eyes again. “Just think about it Changbin, which is the right side?”

The screen went off. Changbin sat still in his place, resting his arms on the table and holding his head there. Things were getting out of his control.

* * *

“Poor Binnie, don’t you think?” Woojin observed the black screen as he rocked side to side on his wheeled chair.

“Yes, sir.”

“I don’t trust him to do his side of the plan, with how he was behaving, so I trust you’ll do a good job of taking care of Chan, right?”

“Of course, sir. I’ll take care of it.”

“Well done.” Woojin sighed, smiling to himself. “I really can’t wait to meet you again, Channie.”


	7. Choices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The choices you make now, the people you surround yourself with, they all have the potential to affect your life, even who you are, forever.”   
> ― Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever
> 
> A new candidate is added to the mission and everyone reveals their choices about joining Chan’s team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven’t slept much so the editing of this chapter might be a little bit... bad, but! I still hope you enjoy it, and if you do remember to leave kudos and comments ‘cause it keeps me motivated <333

Part-time jobs were the absolute worst. It usually meant interacting with customers for hours at a low pay. Hyunjin was a classic coffee shop waiter. He hated the job, of course, like most sane people that had been through a similar job at least once in their lives; but he needed the money at all costs, so he was willing to suck it up and carry out the orders of impatient customers.

Of course, breakfast and lunch hours were the busiest times during the day. The tables were all occupied and there were more customers waiting in line for an order they could take to their car or their workplace. Hyunjin himself was busy trying to remember which order belonged to which table and making sure he wasn’t taking the wrong beverages with him. 

“Hyunjin, the order for table seven is ready, come pick it up!” One of his coworkers told him from behind the counter before they returned to the kitchen area.

“Coming!” Hyunjin replied, knowing well it was meaningless. He just needed to deliver the one order he was carrying at the moment.

It was an easy task. Just keep everything balanced in your tray, get to the table, put everything down and go back to pick up another order. It was easy, but Hyunjin didn’t have luck on his side that day. The one thought that came to his mind as he fell face first was that he was going to have to redo the order and probably face a very angry consumer. 

Except he never touched the ground. He watched the beverage and the three meat sandwich float in front of his eyes as his feet did the same. For a moment he thought he was dead. He had died from hitting his face on the ground, how lame. But when he saw the looks of amazement in the faces of the clients around him he deduced he was floating for real and this was not his soul just slipping away.

“Are you okay?” A gentle voice spoke in front of him.

Hyunjin raised his eyes to find himself facing a puppy. Or more like a puppy-looking person. He wanted to reply, except he was now realizing he was not dead and he was in fact floating, so he did what any normal person would have done in his place. He freaked out.

“Holy shit what the actual fuck!” Hyunjin flailed his arms around, feeling his face heat up as the people around him laughed at his very delayed reaction.

“Don’t freak out, it’s me! I’m the one doing it, I was just trying to keep you from face-planting on the ground.” The puppy-looking man spoke again before holding his arm firmly and pulling him down.

In just a matter of seconds, Hyunjin stopped feeling like he was a cloud and everything felt more solid, more stable under his feet. He observed, amazed, how the man fished the order from the air and put it back together on the tray; nothing was floating anymore.

“I think you should go deliver this.” The man handed him the tray. “Also your manager is staring at you from over there and she doesn’t look very happy.”

Hyunjin cursed internally, much like how he had cursed when he had discovered himself flying. He finished delivering the order before facing his manager at the back of the room, who told him to just take a break and cool his head before he caused more disruption in the shop. Hyunjin felt dejected but obeyed anyway, and walked away to take a deserved break.

“Hey, come here for a second!” The puppy-man —Hyunjin really needed to stop calling him that— intercepted him with a wave of his hand, asking him to join him at his table. “Are you alright?” He asked once Hyunjin was sitting in front of him.

“Yes, thanks for that.” Hyunjin sounded more dejected than he would have liked, and grimaced at himself. “I’m sure you were trying to save me from an embarrassment but unfortunately I ruined it anyway.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it; at least you avoided getting hurt and having to prepare the order again.” The man said, smiling. Hyunjin definitely thought he looked like a puppy.

“How did you do that?” Hyunjin asked, remembering how light he had felt in the few moments he had been flying.

“Oh, I can sort of ‘change’ matter, in a way, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it.” He chuckled, putting his hand on the table, which started to float only a few seconds later. “Like this. I can also do it the other way around, but I think that would be a little destructive in a place like this.” Seungmin put the table back down, while Hyunjin opened his mouth wide, looking fairly impressed.

“That’s amazing, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a power like this; I bet Jeongin would be super impressed as well.” Hyunjin muttered, barely containing his thoughts.

“Jeongin?” 

“He’s a cute friend of mine, he’s looking for people to help him with something, and I think you would be pretty cool for that, uh...” Hyunjin stammered. “Sorry, what’s your name?”

“Oh, I’m Kim Seungmin, sorry.” Seungmin chuckled. “What about you?”

“Hwang Hyunjin, it’s nice to meet you.” He replied, eagerly.

“So what is this about your friend Jeongin, I’m actually curious; no one has ever thought of my powers as something useful,” Seungmin said, leaning a little bit closer to keep the conversation closed between them.

“Well, that is actually confidential information,” Hyunjin said, catching himself just in time to avoid his eyes going further down Seungmin’s face. Instead, he forced himself to look right back up. “But maybe I can take you to meet him? Once I’m done with my shift though...”

“That sounds like a good idea.” Seungmin grinned, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but swallow hard. “When do you get out?”

“Five... in the afternoon.”

“I’ll be back by that hour then,” Seungmin agreed. Hyunjin was only able to nod dumbly as he watched the other leave the coffee shop.

* * *

Minho sat down in the living room with a cup of tea. The warm beverage helped him calm down the headaches that usually accompanied his daily life. They weren’t nearly as bad as they had been in the past, when his grandmother had passed away and the house had felt too big for him alone.

Back then, the decorations had felt impersonal and devoid of feelings. He had actually thought of selling the place and looking for something smaller, that didn’t feel a like eternal emptiness. The memories had held him back. He had so many of them about the time he had spent with his grandmother, the woman that had brought him up with her own hands. He just couldn’t sell a place like that.

The place started filling up after that, little by little, when Jisung had barged in thinking it was an abandoned property, running away from something. Minho had seen him in the doorstep, completely drenched in rainwater, and had thought to himself why not. He wrapped Jisung in towels and made him sit down on the living room floor with a warm cup of tea in his hands as he brought the hairdryer to dry his hair himself.

By the next day, Jisung had disappeared with the moonlight, and Minho had thought nothing more of it. And then, that following night, Jisung had knocked on his door again. Minho had let him in, putting a cup of tea on his hands and letting him seat on the floor, between his legs, as they both drank their cup in silence. It was weird, Minho had thought, but people often told him he was weird anyway, so it felt fitting.

Jisung didn’t come by every single day. But a few weeks later, on the tenth morning of going back and forth like that, Minho had found Jisung still laying down on bed. He had known, at that moment, that he was there to stay. So he prepared breakfast —a very miserable one, he was not used to cooking for others— and welcomed Jisung into his life just like that.

So Minho drank his cup of tea in the living room, reminiscing those days that had happened years ago, and didn’t even jump when Jisung came running into the room and plopped himself on top of Minho. He didn’t know when he had gone from sitting on the floor between his legs to sitting on top of them, but as long as Jisung didn’t drop boiling tea on him, Minho didn’t mind much.

“Hyung,” Jisung said, snuggling into the oldest as Minho passed an arm around his middle. “I’m thinking about accepting Chan’s offer.”

“I see,” Minho had said, simply, sighing into Jisung’s ear and feeling the youngest squirm in his hold. “Well, I’m not going to keep you from doing what you want.” Minho stated, snuggling into Jisung’s neck.

“But you don’t really agree with it either.” Jisung huffed.

“And? I might not agree with it, and I might not trust Chan’s judgement all that much; but I’m your boyfriend, Han Jisung. I’m going to support you if you want to fulfill your child’s dream of being a superhero.” Minho teased.

“Hyung!” Jisung protested, turning around all he could just to stare at him. “It is not a child’s dream.” He huffed, only settling down when Minho softly pecked his cheek.

“I know, I just don’t want you to be all serious about this.” Minho chuckled. “I know it makes you excited, the idea of doing a mission like a superhero would do; I’m just a little worried and I don’t want that to discourage you from following your dreams.”

“You’re such a softie, even when you pretend you don’t care,” Jisung teased, untangling himself just so he could lean in and give Minho a kiss.

“Oh god, shut up.” Minho shook his head, but still kissed him back.

“Besides, what are you worried about hyung?” Jisung settled back into his embrace. “You literally can see the future on command, you’d be the first one to know if I were in danger anyway.” Jisung shrugged.

“You praise me more than you should, you idiot.” Minho couldn’t help the smile that flourished on his lips, so he hid it with a sip of his tea.

“It’s going to be okay; I’m going to save the world and at the end of the day you’ll receive me with your open arms like you’ve always done.” Jisung brought Minho’s hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss.

“You’re right; I guess I’ll have to have the tea ready.” Minho pressed a soft kiss to the back of his head.

“Pretty much, hyung.”

* * *

Hyunjin took Seungmin to the little apartment he shared with Felix. He had let his roommate know beforehand, but Felix had been excited about it nonetheless. He needed to brief him on the meeting with Chan and Jeongin as well, so it was as good of a time as any to bring Seungmin. 

The place wasn’t too big, but it had enough space for the two of them, and they didn’t have to share a room either. It had been a good alternative to the dorms offered by the university, even if it was a little far away, but it was the best they could afford as the part-timers they were.

As he invited Seungmin in, he put stuff away from their path, trying to make the place look less messy than it really was. If Seungmin noticed, he did not comment about it, and Hyunjin felt grateful. They ended up taking a sit in the kitchen counter, where Hyunjin offered him something to drink. He was just closing the fridge’s door with his foot, two cans of soda in his hands, when Felix walked into the apartment with a loud bang of the door.

“That must be my roommate,” Hyunjin said, nervously, as he placed both cans on the counter.

“Hyunjin, I’m back!” Felix exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen. His whole gesture changed when he caught Seungmin in the middle of opening his can of soda, and he almost shrunk on himself. “Oh shit I forgot you were bringing someone.” He mumbled, obviously embarrassed.

Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh, seeing his friend like that. He brushed it off by fishing another coke from the refrigerator and offering it to Felix, who accepted it graciously before sitting in front of Seungmin on the counter. Hyunjin sat right in front of Felix and opened his beverage. Everyone sipped on their respecting cans, not daring to be the first one to speak up, until Seungmin finally cleared his throat.

“So, I guess you’re Hyunjin’s roommate? My name is Kim Seungmin, it’s nice to meet you.” Seungmin shook Felix’s hand, who looked even more embarrassed after forgetting to introduce himself.

“Ah, yes, I’m Lee Felix, it is very nice to meet you.” Felix pushed his can away. “Hyunjin was saying on the phone that you have a very cool power, I got a bit excited so I just told him to bring you.” Felix smiled.

“I’m not even sure if Jeongin is okay with this,” Hyunjin muttered. “Ah, this was badly planned,” he lamented, burying his face on his hands. “I got too excited too.”

Seungmin chuckled, downing the rest of his drink before holding the can on his hand for a moment. Then, like it was nothing, he crushed it in his hand and it went down easily, almost like it was just a piece of paper. Felix opened his mouth, but was unable to say anything and instead gape like a fish out of water. Seungmin let go of the can and it dropped on the kitchen table hard, like it was made out of stone.

“Holy shit.” Felix gasped, almost pushing his can off the edge of the counter. “That’s really cool.”

“Right?” Hyunjin laughed. “He made me float earlier!”

“You’re both reacting like you don’t have powers yourselves.” Seungmin smiled, flattered. “What can you do?”

“Well, it’s certainly not as fun but,” Felix said, focusing on the can Seungmin had been drinking from. It raised of the counter and landed neatly in the trash can. “I can do that.”

“Me, well...” Hyunjin shrugging. In the blink of an eye he had disappeared from Seungmin’s field of vision. Seungmin felt a tap on his back and turned around, jumping in his place. “I can do that.”

“On one side, fuck you for scaring me.” Seungmin huffed, receiving a hearty laugh in response. “But both your powers are very cool too, although I agree mine is the coolest.” Seungmin grinned, earning a laugh from the both of them.

“I like him,” Felix declared, finishing his own coke and throwing it in the trash. “I think we should call Jeongin and tell him.”

“I’ll ask him if he can come, then,” Hyunjin agreed, taking out his cellphone.

* * *

Changbin opened the door for Chan as soon as he heard knocking. He had been waiting for the older the whole day, although they had agreed to meet at that specific time. He wondered just how much he could say without causing Chan to snap and take the careless decision of looking for Woojin without any preparation. After all, Woojin had a whole underground army that believed his words blindly. That just couldn’t be safe.

He invited Chan to his room and made sure there were no sneaky animals spying on them. Changbin doubted Jeongin would still be spying after he had been invited to be part of the mission, but one could never know. After checking and offering Chan to seat on the only desk chair they owned, he settled comfortably on his own bed and began speaking.

“So, I haven’t found Woojin, not quite,” Changbin tried to explain. “I’m not entirely sure of how it works, but it seems that he designates certain places as meeting rooms, you know, like the ones in JYP.”

Chan nodded. For a moment, he had forgotten that Changbin had also trained alongside him in the same company. But when he said that, it was like a wave of memories just coming at him, of the times they had spent together. It felt so weird to talk with Changbin in this way now, so unfamiliar, like they hadn’t met before. And in a sense, Chan guessed that was true. Years had passed, and time could certainly change a person.

“So you’re saying he doesn’t meet with them in person, rather through a screen?” He asked, just to make sure, and Changbin nodded.

“Basically,” Changbin affirmed. “The buildings are marked with the same logo of an eye in a triangle that appears in his website, so they’re not very difficult to identify.” Changbin sighed. “But I’m pretty sure someone saw me in the building yesterday, so I’m not entirely sure that place is still up, I think we should look for other meeting rooms.”

Changbin held Chan’s stare. He hoped his lie was convincing. He knew it was wrong to lie to his friend, but he also knew that Chan was capable of dumb and ridiculous things, so if they wanted to have any chance of stopping Woojin, he would have to lie. Or at the very least, withhold the truth.

Chan closed his eyes after a moment and sighed, nodding. It was very smart of Woojin to do something like that. But of course, Woojin was nothing but smart, if he wanted, he could start a war all on his own and emerge victorious from it, he was a force to be afraid of. Which was the reason Chan needed to stop him, no matter what.

“It’s okay, you did a great job even finding that out.” Chan smiled, suddenly cheerful again. “Let’s try to find another meeting room, and that way I can send someone who might be able to intercept the signal and trace it back to him.” Chan stood up. “Meanwhile I am going to invite you to dinner, because you’ve been working very hard and I got a very nice pay from a recent mission so, get up!”

Changbin stared at him wide-eyed. Of course Chan was only thinking about food, even in a situation like that. He ended up laughing it off and following the oldest out of the apartment and into the streets. The food didn’t lessen his guilt at all, but it did make it easier for him to keep it hidden and go on with a convincing smile on his face.

* * *

“Hyunjin hyung, while I have to admit it is very irresponsible of you to just invite someone into our secret mission without asking first, I agree that his powers are amazing and so I think I have to congratulate you as well.” Jeongin said as his back bumped softly on the ceiling of his friends’ apartment.

Seungmin flashed a satisfied smile while Hyunjin looked proudly at the youngest; he hadn’t even communicated his news about joining the mission team but he was already being helpful to them. Of course he was feeling damn proud. Seungmin focused on letting Jeongin back on the ground as carefully as he could, before finally asking what was on his mind.

“So what is the mission actually about?” Seungmin said, looking questioningly at Jeongin.

“I imagine you’ve heard about The Eye of Providence?” Jeongin asked, only continuing when Seungmin had nodded. “You don’t agree with whatever they’re trying to do, right?”

“Oh, no,” Seungmin shook his head. “I was left without company because of what they’re doing; it’s difficult enough to become a superhero these days, but they completely ruined my chance.”

“Oh... I’m sorry to hear that, man,” Felix mumbled. He had been observing the different protests that were taking place around the city and sort of understood the sentiment.

“It’s fine.”

“Well, then this is good news for you hyung- can I call you hyung?” Jeongin couldn’t help but ask, and a smile bloomed on his face when Seungmin nodded. “We’re on a mission to stop The Eye of Providence.”

“We know some things in the industry need to change, but the way they’re doing it is sort of ruining a lot of supers,” Hyunjin added, to which Seungmin nodded.

“I see, well, no need to say more,” Seungmin smiled. “I’m in.” Jeongin cheered, giving Felix a high five that was returned just as enthusiastically.

“I am guessing that’s a yes from the three of you right?” Everyone nodded, and Jeongin threw his arms on the air. “Amazing, Chan hyung is going to be super happy about this, I can’t wait to tell him.”

* * *

It had been a week since Chan had first met with everyone to ask them to join him. He was in one of JYP’s training rooms when Jeongin called him, asking to meet with him again since everyone had finally made a choice. Chan felt nervous, with the addition of Seungmin whom he hadn’t met yet, there were five people whose answers would determine just how many people supported his cause.

He had thought about telling Bambam and asking DD Project as well, but it just seemed too risky to involve more people form his company. After all, Woojin had once been his partner and shared the same meeting and training rooms as him; he knew far too much about the people within the company. It was better if, instead, he had a small group of unknown people by his side. People who were untraceable to Woojin (aside from Changbin, but Chan was relying too much on him already).

Chan left the practice room earlier than usual and took a shower before clocking out for the day, saying he had some personal matters to attend. No one questioned it, he had been working extra hours and a lot of the staff believed he deserved the break. It was worth sacrificing a couple of hours of sleep if it meant that the company wasn’t going to be suspicious about him. Who could blame him for wanting some rest?

It was only the second time he visited Minho’s house, but the path was ingrained in his mind and so it was easy to get there. It seemed he was the last to arrive, because when he approached the door to knock, he could hear chatter coming from the inside. He recognized most of the voices, and that gave him hope.

“Chan hyung is here!” Minho announced as he let him in, welcoming him with a cup of tea and a pat to his back. For a second, Chan wondered just how much tea did the younger own.

“Nice, now we can officially start this meeting.” Jeongin cheered, urging Chan to join them in the living room.

“Sorry I’m a little late, you caught me in the middle of training.” Chan smiled sheepishly, but Changbin brushed it off, knowing what that implied. “Thanks for being here today, and Seungmin too, it must be a little weird since we haven’t met before.”

“Don’t worry about it, we’re all here for the same cause!” Seungmin smiled, taking importance away from the matter.

“So Jeongin told me you had all made your choices, and I just want to say I am very grateful that you’re even considering such a crazy petition like this one,” Chan said, trying not to appear too nervous.

“Okay well, I was the one who contacted everyone so you already know it is a yes from me hyung,” Jeongin was the first to speak, trying to make the situation a little bit less serious. Changbin nodded next to him.

“Me too, plus I’m already buried up to my neck in this so I don’t have much of a choice,” Changbin said, making Chan laugh.

“I am in too,” Hyunjin raised his hand. “I have no idea how I’m going to manage my life but if there is something I lack is responsibility anyway.” He chuckled, receiving a punch on his shoulder from Felix.

“I’m in too,” said Seungmin. “This is really the only chance I get to undo what’s happening and hopefully get the company back.”

“I’m in,” Felix nodded as well.

Jisung and Minho had remained silent during that time. They were sitting like last time Chan had visited their home, with Jisung leaning over Minho’s chest and sitting on his lap like it was the most comfortable place on Earth. When they noticed his eyes over them, Minho looked at Jisung and nodded at him in reassurance. Jisung smiled.

“I am joining too,” he said, simply.

“Unfortunately I don’t wish to join you,” Minho said next, and everyone looked at him. “You can come to my house all you want, it is now your house as well, and I can help with some matters, but I don’t want to put my life in the front line, I hope you can understand that.” Chan nodded after listening to his words.

“Don’t worry, what you offer is more than enough; I’m glad we can rely on someone like you for this.” Chan clapped his hands. “Well then, I guess that settles it, from now on, I welcome you to the life of a superhero. It is time we kick some villain’s ass.” Everyone laughed and cheered around him, and Chan knew there was no going back.


	8. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Remember tonight... for it is the beginning of always”  
> — Dante
> 
> Chan gives Felix, Seungmin and Hyunjin their first mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been really busy today so the update is coming a little late. This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, but I promise things are gonna get spicy soon sknskns Remember to leave a comment if you like the fic! It keeps me going :)

“You have an incoming message.” The AI that controlled his communication equipment announced, and Chan barely managed to dodge the piece of concrete that was directed at his face.

“Shit, sorry Jinx, I need to check this,” Chan said, throwing himself behind a car to earn a little of cover.

“Are you fucking kidding-“ Bambam didn’t get to finish complaining because Chan changed the channel.

The AI immediately connected him to Changbin. Chan had gotten them all earpieces so that they could exchange information at times like this, given how Changbin refused to get himself a cellphone. Of course, he hadn’t expected them to use them while he was on an official mission, but he would take what he could get.

“What’s the matter Chimera?” Chan asked, moving from behind the car as he heard someone approaching.

“Please never use that name ever again.” Changbin groaned.

“No can do, I’m out in a mission right now so I should use codenames.” Chan chuckled, but the distraction sent him straight to the ground as a ball of dirt and stone hit him on the chest. “Fuck-“

“Fucking whatever then,” Changbin sighed. “I found some new leads of what seems to be one of Woojin’s meeting rooms.”

Chan listened to him as best as he could as he stood up and brushed off the dirt. He spotted his target, standing a few meters away from him and immediately shot a ray of burning light towards him, gaining himself some time.

“That’s good, but you could have waited until I’m not in immediate danger of dying.” Chan ran towards the man as he tried to stand up and kicked him on the chest, sending him to the ground again.

“No can do, I have no idea when you’re out on missions.” Changbin pointed.

“Touché.” Chan sighed, kneeling on top of the man. “Give me a second.” He punched the man on the face until he was rendered unconscious and then sat back on the floor. “Okay I’m back, can you meet me at your apartment so we can discuss the details?”

“Sure, just hurry up.” Changbin ended the communication. Chan stood up and handcuffed the man before returning to Bambam.

“I’m done with the mission, the target has been arrested,” he informed, looking at the unconscious man laid on the floor. “Sorry for cutting you off like that.”

“It’s okay, I’m sure it was important.” Bambam huffed. “I’ve already sent someone to pick you up, they’ll be there in two minutes. How did the mission go?”

“As smooth as rolling down a cliff.” Chan chuckled. “They’re growing in numbers, you know? The supers doing evil stuff.”

“It’s a sign of changing times.”

“Right.”

The car eventually arrived to pick up Chan. He loaded the unconscious super on the back and got on the passenger’s seat. The trip to the headquarters was quick and silent; the criminal was taken to the interrogation rooms as Chan made his way to the meeting rooms to give his report and leave to meet with Changbin. JYP didn’t let him leave as easily though, warning him that they were going to start taking new protection measures because The Eye of Providence has started attacking bigger companies.

Chan wanted to tell him he knows that. He’s been following every post carefully and documenting every protest and movement from the followers of the site. He kept it to himself though. No one in the company was supposed to know that he was moving by himself, there could be repercussions, and he couldn’t let anything get in his way of finding Woojin.

He left once he was done with the report and takes a cab to Changbin’s house. The place felt livelier than usual when he heard Jeongin and Jisung yelling at each other from the outside. He had no idea what Jisung was doing there, but his liveliness makes things feel less tense and serious, so he welcomes it as much as Changbin welcomes him into his apartment after he knocks on the door.

“Took you a while.” Changbin complained, guiding him towards the room he shared with Jeongin.

“Yeah, the director took some extra time to talk about the present struggle superhero companies are facing. You know I couldn’t leave until he stopped talking.” Chan shrugs.

“True.”

They entered the room and found Jisung and Jeongin play-fighting each other on the floor as Jisung tried to recover an almost empty back of chips. Chan seizes the opportunity and steals the bag, downing the last handful of chips before Jisung tackles him on the bed, causing the crumbs to spread everywhere.

“Ya! I’m gonna have to clean that!” Changbin yelled, but they ignored him as Chan pulled Jisung into a headlock amidst laughter. Until the younger raised the white flag and was let free to slump on the bed and recover himself. “Why did I think letting a group of children into my room was going to be a good idea?”

“Stop being such a drama queen.” Chan teased. “We’re kids doing a very important mission, we deserve some time to unwind.”

Changbin shook his head before sitting on his desk and grabbing his laptop. He opened it to a map that had a few coordinates marked on them and turned it so everyone could look at the screen. The room grew silent as they took the image in, Chan seemed to know what they were, but Jeongin and Jisung were still confused.

“These are places I suspect of being some of the meeting rooms. I’m not sure about all of them but this one,” Changbin said as he pointed at one located in the Incheon area, “is most certainly a meeting room. I was thinking of scouting the area with Jeongin’s help, if you think that’s a good idea.”

Jeongin perked up at being named, and immediately looked at Chan, who seemed to be thinking deeply about the options. Finally, he nodded and patted Jeongin on the back.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good idea.” Chan decided. “Find out if it’s a meeting room and then inform me before we actually decide to raid the place. You mentioned they have the symbol painted somewhere, right?” Changbin nodded. “Then it should be easy to identify if it is, and then we can decide how we’ll go about it.”

“I think this is the first time I’m getting permission to spy on someone,” Jeongin mumbled.

“Only because this is for a good cause, but don’t believe you can get away with what you did so easily.” Changbin huffed, putting the laptop away and attacking Jeongin with a hug.

“Changbin hyung is right, we’re a bunch of kids.” Jisung chuckled.

* * *

In the following couple weeks, Chan continued working on his regular missions while Changbin and Jeongin researched the place and obtained as much information as they could to confirm the it was what they were looking for. Eventually, he got a message that confirmed there was no doubts that the place held a meeting room that Woojin was using to communicate with this followers and give them missions.

With the confirmation, Chan took it to himself to contact Felix, Seungmin and Hyunjin. He called the first two and cited them to meet with Hyunjin at his workplace. They agreed, but it would have to be later in the day since Felix was still in classes. When evening came, Chan headed towards the coffee shop Hyunjin worked at. 

Felix and Seungmin were already there when he arrived, sitting on a table and enjoying an iced beverage with some pastries. He wondered for a moment how much time had they been there to have ordered and received their snacks. But he didn’t dwell on it for long. As soon as Hyunjin saw him arrive, he went to his manager and asked him for a break.

Hyunjin had been saving on of his two breaks so he could meet with the others once they were there. He was hungry, so he felt grateful when Felix offered him part of his desert as he joined them on the table. Chan sat down too, politely rejecting Seungmin’s food offering as he did.

“Okay, here we are, how has everyone been?” Chan asked, and they all replied with various degrees of ‘alright’. “That’s good, because I bring you the first mission today.” Everyone exchanged a glance before looking back at him, clearly more interested and serious than before. “Changbin and Jeongin have been investigating a place for me; as far as we know, Woojin meets with the followers of The Eye of Providence through some sort of meeting rooms.

“These places have a device -last time it was a laptop- or something of sorts that allows communication. We have some very definite clues that lead us to believe this place-“ he showed them his cellphone, which had a picture of the map with the coordinates, “is one of those meeting rooms.”

“So I’m guessing you want us to go there and...?” Seungmin asked, a bit confused with the purpose of the mission.

“I want you to go there and plant a device on the laptop, or whatever it is, to try and trace the call back to Woojin’s location.” Chan explained, putting his cellphone away. “If you’re okay with doing this, I’ll send you the location and deliver the device to you.”

“Seems simple enough,” Hyunjin said. “We just have to find the place and install the device, right?”

“Pretty much.” Chan nodded. “I can’t assure you you won’t find some trouble there, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“I think we can do it,” Felix said. “I’m in.”

“Me too,” Seungmin agreed, Hyunjin nodded by his side.

“Okay, then I’ll see you at your apartment in two days to give you what you need.” Chan decided, getting up from the table and leaving after bidding farewell to the rest.

Two days later, the four of them along with Changbin met at Hyunjin and Felix’s apartment. They spoke over the kitchen counter as Changbin brought out his laptop to show them all the information he and Jeongin had collected in the past weeks. There was some tension among them. Chan could feel that they were nervous, probably because of the implications of such a mission; this was their first chance at obtaining some actual leads that could take them to Woojin.

“Okay, listen up kids.” Changbin showed them his laptop. “This is where you have to go, it’s in Incheon, so it’s going to be a busy area.” He typed a few things and sent them to their respective phone numbers.

“This is the device I want you to connect.” Chan pulled out a small gray box with a few lights and buttons and put it on the table. “All you have to do is get there, find the place, plant the device, and exit.”

“Sounds simple,” Felix said. “The coordinates are pointing to the Fish Market though... There’s going to be a lot of people.”

“Yeah, which is what worries me the most; but as long as you don’t get into a fight, everyone should be safe.” Chan passed the device to Hyunjin.

“When should we go, and how are we going to get there?” Seungmin asked.

“I’m going to buy you passages for the train, that’s how you get there; as for the date, the sooner you can do it, the better.” Chan added.

“The day after tomorrow is my rest day, I think we should do it then.” Hyunjin suggested, Felix and Seungmin nodded in agreement before looking at them.

“Don’t look at me, I’m just the informant.” Changbin complained, making them laugh.

“I think the day after tomorrow works well; I’ll see you at the station to give you the passages.” Chan approved, finalizing the plan.

* * *

Seungmin visited Hyunjin at the coffee shop the next day. Hyunjin was as busy as ever, taking and delivering orders and trying to keep all of the clients in a good mood. It was certainly not an easy task, but at least Hyunjin’s smile seemed to help everyone be more at ease. Seungmin sat down in one of the tables and waited with a smile until Hyunjin noticed and hurried to his table.

“Hey...” Hyunjin smiled at him, trying to put his hair in place at the same time. “What are you doing here?”

“I was passing by and felt a little hungry so I made a stop here.” Seungmin smiled mischievously back at him, not missing the way Hyunjin’s expression twitched slightly as he tried to cover his disappointment.

“Oh...” Hyunjin chuckled, but it seemed forced even for him. “I see.”

“Don’t look so disappointed,” Seungmin said, his smile softening. “Will it make you happier if I say I came to see you?”

“Oh come on, stop teasing me.” Hyunjin complained as his cheeks flushed a soft red. Seungmin chuckled, satisfied. “What do you want to order?”

“Just bring me your favorite?”

“My favorite?” Hyunjin looked at him in confusion. 

“Yes, so I can torture you while you work.” Seungmin couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the offense written all over Hyunjin’s face.

“You little- just wait until I’m in my break, I’m going to get my revenge.” Hyunjin declared before walking away to get him his order.

His break didn’t happen until an hour later. Seungmin was still there. He had finished his food long ago but had asked for another beverage so that no one tried to kick him out. Hyunjin joined him as soon as he was given his break, sitting on the table and snatching the drink away from Seungmin’s hands.

“Hey!” Seungmin complained, trying to get it back.

“Revenge.” Hyunjin deadpanned, immediately taking the straw to his mouth and sipping from the drink.

“God, at least get another straw or something.” Seungmin huffed.

“Why would I, aren’t we friends?” Hyunjin returned the beverage once he decided it was not to his taste.

“If you say so.” Seungmin took it back and kept it away from him.

“So, why are you here?”

“Hum, I guess I’m feeling a little nervous about our mission for tomorrow.” Seungmin hummed, sipping on his drink absentmindedly.

“Oh, so you came looking for me? How flattering.” Hyunjin chuckled, gaining himself an eye roll.

“Shut up.” Seungmin chuckled as well.

“You’ll be fine, there’s nothing to worry about, just remember why we’re doing this.”

“Yeah.” Seungmin put the cup on the table as he finished his drink. “I know.”

* * *

“So you’re saying they’re going to go to the meeting room in Incheon?” Woojin asked, interrupting what he had been doing.

“Yes sir, tomorrow in the afternoon; they’re going to install a device that’s supposed to track the location back to you.” 

“Interesting.” Woojin nodded. “Nova is starting to get bold, but that’s not unusual in him.”

“Should I do something about it?”

“No, maintain your position, let them get there.” Woojin smiled. “Even more, let them install the device, let’s see how far it’ll take them. Of course, we have to plant a little surprise for them as well, we can’t let them leave empty handed.”

“As you wish, sir.” There was a pause. “But, will it be okay?”

“Are you worried about them?” Woojin’s surprise was evident in his voice. “Oh, poor little thing, don’t start to like them too much, this is a war after all. But don’t worry, I just want to test the strength of Chan’s team for now, they’ll be fine.”

“Understood, sir.”


	9. Doubts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s so much harder, when enemies turn into friends. And the opposite, I suppose. What didn’t I see? What did I overlook or dismiss? It always makes me reassess myself more than them.”   
> ― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Wings and Ruin
> 
> Things don’t quite go as planned with the mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn’t going to post the chapter today. I’ve been feeling pretty unmotivated with my writing lately, but I decided to push through. Still, the editing might be a little meh, I still hope you enjoy it ^^

Hyunjin, Felix and Seungmin met with Chan in the train station. Chan had just finished buying their tickets and was handing them to them as he reminded them what the mission consisted of. Felix showed him a glimpse of the device, which he was carrying in a backpack, just to make sure they weren’t forgetting anything. Chan sent them off moments later, and they took off on the train that would take them to Incheon.

“This is like having paid vacations,” Felix mumbled. Hyunjin couldn’t help but laugh and agree with him, but Seungmin stayed silent.

“Is something wrong Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked, quickly catching up. Seungmin shook his head, but Hyunjin didn’t let him off so easily and instead grabbed his hand. “Are you still nervous?”

“Yeah,” Seungmin finally confessed. “A little bit.”

“It’s going to be fine,” Felix reassured him. “The worst thing that can happen is we take too long to finish and we don’t get to explore around.” Seungmin chuckled a little at Felix’s confidence, it was certainly reassuring.

“I guess you’re right,” Seungmin agreed. “You do have me after all, if it weren’t for me you’d be in real danger.” He joked, making them laugh.

“That’s the spirit.” Hyunjin cheered.

The hour went by fast. The subway was comfortable enough and they entertained themselves by speaking and learning more about each other. They got off at the Incheon Airport Station and opened the GPS on their cellphones. None of them had ever been to Incheon before, so they were grateful that Changbin had been as specific as possible with the location of their target.

They chose to take a taxi to the Fish Market, which helped them arrive in no time, but from there, they would have to figure it out themselves. The taxi dropped them and left. The area was populated, typical of a weekend afternoon, so they had to make sure not to lose each other in the crowd.

“There’s too many people...” Felix said, concerned.

“It’ll be alright, as long as we don’t focus the attention on ourselves,” Hyunjin assured him. “We just have to go in and out, it’ll be simple; we’ll be out in no time.”

They agreed to not split and instead chose to walk around together, paying special attention to the conversations people had around them. Changbin had explained before that usually they would hear rumors of The Eye of Providence if there was a meeting room close, so they just had to pay attention and the path would be revealed to them.

It took a while, but eventually Felix heard it. It was a faint whisper. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, alerting the other two by his sudden change in behavior. Hyunjin began to say something, but Felix silenced him by placing his finger on top of his lips. He turned around and started walking the same path as before, trying to find another mention of The Eye of Providence.

He stopped at a small stall, a couple of feet away from it. A man was telling something to the owner of the stall. Felix couldn’t catch all of the conversation, but he managed to hear the name of the website that Woojin was running. The lady that ran a stall pointed towards one of the alleyways that filled the market and the man disappeared through there. Felix smiled victorious, they had finally found the right lead.

“What are you doing Felix?” Hyunjin finally asked, too confused about his friend’s behavior.

“Fortunately for you two, I have some nicely developed senses; I think I just found out the right direction, let’s go.” Felix started walking after the man that had just left, and the other two followed right after, not quite sure what was he on about.

The alleyways were really just smaller branches of the main market. They were a little less full than the Main Street, but certainly much more narrow. Felix did his best to not lose the lead of the man, while he told the other two to pay attention to the buildings in case they spotted the mark of The Eye of Providence. Hyunjin and Seungmin did their best to keep track of all the walls and doors they walked past, but it was hard to keep Felix’s pace at the same time.

“Wait!” Seungmin said, stopping and pulling Hyunjin to a stop. Felix, much against his will, stopped on his tracks as well and turned around.

“What is it? We’re going to lose him,” Felix said.

“The mark, it’s there.” Seungmin pointed to the wall of a little house that seemed to be abandoned.

“Are you sure? Why would he have passed by it then...?” Felix looked at Hyunjin and the later responded with a nod.

“Yes, I’m thinking about it too, but what else can we do now? We’ve come this far, let’s just go in.”

The three agreed and jumped over the fence that protected the little front yard of the house. It would’ve been foolish to go in through the front door, so instead, they crouched and made their way to the backyard, using the fence to hide themselves from the eyes of others. There was no back door, but there were a few windows that could probably be forced open. Felix made an attempt to open the first window, but it was to no avail.

“The windows on the second floor are open...” Hyunjin pointed out. “I know, Seungmin, make us float over there.” Seungmin looked at Hyunjin like he was crazy, but Hyunjin was having none of it. “Just hurry, if this really is what we think it is, we need to get out of here fast.”

Sighing, Seungmin focused on making Hyunjin as light as a cloud. Hyunjin stuck to the wall as much as possible and felt himself rise from the floor. Using the wall as guidance, he navigated towards the top window and used the windowsill to pull himself in. Seungmin repeated the process with Felix, and then with himself, and soon they were all inside the house. 

“Let’s go,” Hyunjin said once they were all safe on the floor.

They divided themselves to check out all of the rooms faster. The second floor was empty, so they went to the first one and checked it all the same. They were about to lose hope when Felix found stairs that connected the kitchen with the basement, and since there was no other place to check, they went down the stairs together. 

The basement was dimly lit by a single lamp that hung from the ceiling. There was nothing down there but a simple metal chair and table, which had a laptop sitting on top of it. The laptop was on, showing a desktop area that had the eye of providence as the background, and a simple application that seemed to be for communication. Hyunjin activated his earpiece for the first time at that moment.

“Hyung! You finally connected, I thought you were already dead or something.” Jeongin’s voice immediately came through his earpiece.

“What a nice welcoming,” Hyunjin muttered. “We finally found the meeting room. There’s nothing much in here, but there is a laptop, like hyung said.”

“Great, according to Chan hyung, you just need to turn on the device somewhere close to the laptop, it’ll connect wirelessly.” Jeongin explained.

“Then we should put it under the table so it isn’t visible...” Hyunjin hummed. “Felix, got anything else in that backpack that might help us stick it to the table?”

“No, but I saw a toolbox earlier, I’ll go get it to see if there’s tape in it, you start connecting it meanwhile.” Felix went back to the kitchen soon after.

Hyunjin turned the device in and placed it under the laptop. A message soon popped up, and Seungmin, who was standing close, clicked on accept to allow the connection. While it was being established, Felix returned with some yellow tape and helped Hyunjin stick it to the underside of the table. Once the device had finished connecting, they made their way out of the basement and closed after them.

“We should probably get out just how we got in,” Hyunjin suggested as he walked towards the stairs, stopping when he saw Felix’s worried face.

“I don’t think that’s going to be possible.” Seungmin pointed to the top of the stairs, where two men waited with crossed arms.

“Shit,” Hyunjin whispered, walking away from the stairs.

“I’m certain you three aren’t supposed to be here.” Said one of the men, he was wearing a black eye mask.

“Quickly, to the window!” Hyunjin yelled, pushing Felix in the direction of the kitchen and following right behind the other two.

The two men gave them chase and followed them to the kitchen. As Seungmin climbed on the counter to get out through the window, lighting struck the sink he was using for support. He fell to the ground, shaking violently for a few seconds due to the electricity. Hyunjin cursed and transported himself in front of the guy, punching him on the face before transporting to his back, kneeling and making him fall to the floor.

The other man, who was wearing a dark blue mask that covered his whole face, started throwing knives at Felix. He tried avoiding them first, but soon realized that the man could control their direction, and it became a battle of will as Felix tried to keep them away from himself. Hyunjin returned to Seungmin’s side and helped him up. Seungmin was stunned, but managed to hear Felix’s warning and turn the knife that came their way into putty.

He did the same to the rest of the man’s knives. Of course, the effect wouldn’t last forever, but it would earn them sometime. Felix used this to start throwing all sort of random stuff towards the blue mask. Hyunjin transported to his back and jumped on top of him, trying to knock him unconscious by choking him. A ray of lightning struck his side and sent him flying towards the wall, hitting his head.

“Felix! Get out of here!” Seungmin yelled, pointing towards the window.

“But Hyunjin!”

“I’ll get him!” Seungmin ran towards Hyunjin at the same time that Felix ran towards the window.

Felix started climbing, but the pipe from the sink wrapped around his wrist and immobilized him. He tried to undo it, but the thought was erased from his mind as he saw light strike the metal and his body shook violently until he fell unconscious. Seungmin cursed and grabbed a napkin from the counter, throwing it towards the black masked man. The napkin sank cleanly into the man’s neck, and he fell to the ground with his hands over his throat as he tried to stop the blood.

Seungmin didn’t react quickly enough when the other man found a new knife in one of the drawers and threw it towards Felix, stabbing him cleanly on his right side. The man plummeted to the ground as Seungmin made him as heavy as possible. Seungmin hurried to Hyunjin, who was already standing up, and pulled him towards where Felix was. He turned the hard metal into something malleable and freed Felix’s hand.

“Shit, Felix.” Hyunjin cursed. He grabbed onto the two of them and closed his eyes, focusing as much as possible on his apartment, and when he opened them, they were back there, with Felix bleeding out on the floor. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Seungmin immediately grabbed his cellphone and called emergencies, shouting the address and situation as fast as he could before hanging and grabbing Hyunjin by the shoulders, who’s been pacing around while cursing the whole time.

“Get your shit together and help me apply pressure on the wound,” he said, only receiving a nod from the terrified boy. “And do not even think of removing the knife, just apply pressure.”

Hyunjin kneeled next to Felix and did his best to apply pressure, trying not to think on how his best friend was bleeding out in front of him. Seungmin kneeled down next to the head and checked his breathing, finding relief in the fact that Felix was still alive. The ambulance arrived soon and took Felix and Hyunjin away, who refused to leave the other alone, and Seungmin stayed to call Chan.

“Hyung, there’s been a problem...” Seungmin says, leaning on the kitchen counter as he held the cellphone to his face. “Felix is on his way to the hospital; I think the whole thing was a trap, we encountered two other supers there and one of them stabbed Felix.” He took a deep breath. “I also think I killed someone.”

* * *

“You killed one of ours.” Woojin said. He was sitting on top of his desk instead of on his chair like he usually was. It didn’t mean a good thing.

“I am sorry, sir; it was a very confusing situation, it won’t happen again.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Woojin waved his hand dismissively. “You would’ve blown your cover otherwise, right?”

“Yes... sir.”

“You don’t sound very convinced.” Woojin stood up. “That’s the reason you made that sacrifice, right? To keep your cover.” There was no response, and Woojin couldn’t help but chuckle. It was difficult to believe that such a friendly laugh could belong to someone like him. But nonetheless, it did.

“Don’t tell me you have started liking that... group.” Again, no response. Woojin sighed. “Very well, I want to hear it then.” Woojin walked to the man and grabbed the back of his hair tightly, pulling him back so he was looking him straight in the eyes. “Who’s side are you on, Kim Seungmin?”

Seungmin hoped the hesitation wasn’t visible in his eyes and voice when he replied.

“Yours, sir.”


	10. Risks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The only safe thing is to take a chance.”   
> ― Elaine May
> 
> CHangbin and Jeongin find another possible meeting room and the team decides to take a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week’s chapter is brought to you a day earlier because tomorrow I have a concert and I’m gonna be out all day! This chapter is a bit on the short side but I promise it won’t disappoint ;) Enjoy!

The doctors had managed to stabilize Felix and close the injury after a lengthy surgery. Chan had barely been able to force Hyunjin into going to his apartment to take a shower and get a clean pair of clothes while the surgery was on course, so he could at least welcome Felix with a clean look rather than bathed in his blood. Hyunjin barely took more than twenty minutes to go and return; it was evident to the rest that he had been crying when they saw him, but no one commented on it.

Chan had looked for Seungmin everywhere. He wanted to talk to him, comfort him through the shock of killing -probably- the first person in his life, but he hadn’t been able to find him anywhere. Chan supposed he just needed time, but he just hoped this wouldn’t get in the way of their bigger plans. He hoped the younger was okay and not beating himself too much about it.

Changbin and Jeongin arrived soon after hearing the news. The youngest was devastated. They had been reassured that Felix’s condition was stable, but that it was unlikely he would wake up anytime soon due to the anesthesia that had been used for the surgery. Because the surgery was recent, and he was still in the intensive-care unit, they were soon kicked out of the room and into the waiting room.

It was frustrating, seeing the team look so defeated even after only the first time. Chan knew he needed to cheer them up, put them back together so that they could continue fighting, so he stood up and ordered some food for them since they could probably use the extra boost of energy. They ate forcefully and in silence, although to Chan, it was quite obvious that the food was doing its work when they stopped looking too gloomy.

“Okay, I think we need to address what happened,” Chan said, claiming everyone’s attention. “I don’t think you want to talk about it, but I need to know.”

“It was definitely a trap.” Hyunjin sighed, slumping on the chair. “They intercepted us after we planted the device, although it’s likely they had been there the whole time.”

“How many where there?” Changbin asked, joining the conversation.

“Two, both males,” Hyunjin recounted. “One of them controlled lightning, he electrocuted Seungmin and Felix; the other one controlled metal. Felix was trying to keep him from stabbing us with some blades he was carrying, but he got electrocuted when Seungmin told him to escape and that’s how the knife got him.”

“Did you see their faces?” Chan asked, trying to see if he could recall anyone he knew with powers like that.

“No, they were both wearing masks, and we were all too out of it to pay attention to such a specific detail.” Hyunjin sighed again, passing an arm around Jeongin’s frame when the youngest leaned into him. Chan nodded.

“I’m so sorry I led you into something like that, it was supposed to be a simple mission...” The oldest rubbed his eyes softly.

“It’s okay, you couldn’t have known.” Hyunjin shook his head. “At least we all made it back! Although I have no idea how our plans were discovered. We need to watch our backs.”

“You’re right.” Changbin nodded. “I think we should be more careful than we’ve been so far.”

“I’m just sorry the mission was a failure though,” Hyunjin continued. “I would feel a little less bitter about all of this.”

“It wasn’t a complete failure!” Jeongin exclaimed, straightening up immediately. “Someone used the computer to communicate with Woojin after you planted the device, probably one of the guys you fought.” He exclaimed. “We didn’t have enough time, but we managed to reduce the area of search by a lot, thanks to you.” Jeongin smiled.

“We think they destroyed the room after that call though, because we stopped receiving the signal of the device, but nonetheless, the three of you did a great job.” Changbin added as well, patting Hyunjin on the arm.

Hyunjin smiled at them, feeling just a little better. His friend was in good hands and their efforts hadn’t been useless. Not everything was lost. He would go on and find Woojin; for Felix, and for the safety of their future.

* * *

A week went by in the blink of an eye. Felix’s condition improved quickly, and Hyunjin spent most of his free time visiting his friend and updating the others about his condition. Chan was busy doing tasks for JYP, but he had started mapping the relationship between a lot of his recent cases and Woojin’s rebellious movement. Protests were arising everywhere in the country. They occurred so often that official companies were sending their supers to control the chaos.

Changbin and Jeongin had continued their research on the meeting rooms, trying to find another one to install the tracking device and hopefully narrow Woojin’s possible location even more. Changbin hated sending Jeongin to investigate, but he had to agree that the youngest was good at what he did. He was so in sync with every living being around him that there were no secrets in the city that could hide from him, and Changbin admired that.

Seungmin had returned as well. When asked about what had happened that day in Incheon, he had swept the issue under a rug saying he had just needed some time to himself, to convince himself that he could still go on with the mission despite what had happened. And then he had kept his mouth shut whenever someone tried to ask him about it.

It wasn’t long before they found the location of another meeting room. This time, Chan cited them on Minho’s house, which felt safer and more private than any of the other places they had used before. Minho himself didn’t participate much in their meetings, he offered them a place to talk and some snacks, and occasionally went in to annoy the hell out of Jisung. But other than that, he kept to himself, like he had promised Chan he would do.

“They keep piling up,” Chan said with a sigh, dropping a thick folder full of documents of all the recent cases he had worked on that were tied with Woojin. “I have been receiving threat after threat in the name of Woojin, and we keep being sent to control protests. I’m afraid it’s just going to slip out of our hands soon.”

“I think it’s already a bit too late for that,” Minho had mumbled, but didn’t give much of an explanation.

“There is nothing much we can do about mass control,” Changbin pointed out. “However, Innie and I have been investigating very hard, and we found another location for a meeting room. If we can get this one right, we might be able to find Woojin soon.”

“Where is it?” Seungmin asked immediately, going straight to the point.

“Busan, as far as we know, it’s located in this abandoned, small warehouse,” Jeongin explained. “We should be able to find it pretty easily.”

“I think more of us should go this time,” Hyunjin said, before they could even discuss who should do it. 

“I’ll go.” Jisung raised his hand.

“Then me too!” Jeongin raised his hand as well, but Changbin pushed it down.

“You’re not going anywhere, I’ll go,” he said, in a voice that admitted no complaints. Jeongin huffed but kept his hand down.

“I can go too,” Chan joined. “I’m certain I can make some space in my schedule.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Minho interrupted for the first time in a while. “Everyone recognizes you already Chan, you would put them in danger.” 

“Did you see something?” Chan asked.

“I couldn’t see anything, which I think is worse.” Minho’s reply was enough to convince Chan, and so he relented.

“Is three days from now a good timing for everyone?” Changbin asked once they were done choosing who would go.

Everyone agreed to meet again in three days to carry out the mission. Chan and Jeongin would stay behind to monitor everything and as backup in case the other four needed some hel. The outcome was uncertain, and they felt nervous, but the remainder that Felix was sitting in a hospital bed was enough to keep them going.

* * *

They were on their way to Busan three days later. They had agreed to take different routes to not claim too much attention to themselves, but in the end they were all supposed to meet there at around six in the evening. It wasn’t a very clear arrangement, but everyone was too worried about being intercepted that they chose not to be too detailed.

Once the four of them had arrived to the meeting point, Changbin guided them in the direction of the meeting room. As far as they knew, the warehouse was part of a tiny house that had been abandoned due to problems in its construction. Nobody wanted to buy it. The area it was located in wasn’t particularly busy either, so they were hoping for a smooth mission.

As soon as they arrived, they went directly for the warehouse. Seungmin used his powers to make the lock brittle and easy to manipulate, and not even five minutes after having arrived, they were already inside. The small building was completely empty. There was no sign of a communication device anywhere. 

“This isn’t right...” Changbin mumbled, backing out of the warehouse.

“What is it hyung?” Jeongin asked through the earpiece, their only means of communication.

“There is nothing in here,” he said, looking at the others.

“Try checking the house,” Chan suggested. “It could be that the information got a little mixed up as you investigated.”

“That can’t be right, Jeongin and I were careful when preparing for this mission.” Changbin sighed, frustrated.

“Maybe we should check the house just in case,” Jisung insisted a little. “We can’t be certain they didn’t move the things of place.¨

“I think I’m siding with Changbin hyung on this one... It seems a little dangerous, what if it is another trap?” Hyunjin muttered, he didn’t really want to be heard, but he was afraid.

“What if it isn’t? Maybe we’re being paranoid.” Jisung turned to face Changbin. “You said that you and Jeongin investigated this place carefully, and that you’re certain there must be something here; there’s nowhere else to check but the house, I think we should check.”

There was silence as everyone looked at Changbin, who groaned knowing fully well that Jisung was right. If they left at that moment, they would have wasted a lot of time and effort in nothing. And even if it was a trap, they could at least try to get some information by fighting, so they could as well just try.

“Fine, Jisung you come with me,” Changbin finally agreed. “Hyunjin and Seungmin should stay out here as backup, check the warehouse again in case we missed something, and keep the communication line open, okay?”

Everyone agreed and parted ways. Changbin and Jisung went straight to the house, while Seungmin and Hyunjin returned to the warehouse. It wasn’t particularly big, but Hyunjin thought that with some work it could hold a little business for woodworking or something similar. 

As they examined the racks and boxes around the warehouse, taking sides to cover as much area as possible, the door closed with a loud bang. There was a muffled scream, and when Hyunjin turned to face Seungmin, there was someone suffocating him. He was about to run towards him when he heard a soft click that stopped him in his place.

“Don’t... l...look...” Seungmin’s voice is drowned out by the lack of air and the arm compressing his throat, but Hyunjin managed to read his lips before he fell unconscious.

“It seems that I finally get to meet you, Hwang Hyunjin,” an oddly cheerful voice spoke from his left, where he had heard the soft click previously. He didn’t know the source of the voice, but he knew there was no way it could be someone else, so he turned around. He looked. “I think you should turn off your ear-piece if you don’t want me to shoot you.” Hyunjin couldn’t help but obey, he didn’t want to die.

“Kim Woojin.” The name escaped his lips, barely above a whisper. The superhero that had once sworn to protect the nation was now pointing a gun at him, smiling like he was greeting an old friend.


	11. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction.”   
> ― Criss Jami
> 
> The mission goes south again and the supers face a difficult choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am- so excited for this chapter! It’s definitely one of my favorites and I hope y’all like it as much as I do! Please remember to leave comments! Also, I’m now receiving requests for short stuff on my tumblr linked at the end notes!

Jisung followed Changbin into the house. It was small and looked comfortable despite being covered in dust and cobwebs. It reminded him of the home he shared with Minho, and he thought that maybe with a little cleaning and care, the place could be turned into something similar. Of course, those thoughts didn’t last long, the mission called for him.

“Hyung, I think I should do a quick checkout of the house,” Jisung suggested, claiming Changbin’s attention.

“I don’t know Jisung, seems a bit risky.” Changbin bit his lower lip.

“I’ll be fine, it’ll be quick, don’t worry.”

Jisung set off right after saying that. He explored every corner of the house with such a speed that before Changbin could even react he was already at the other corner of the house, walking into the last room he needed to check.

“I think it’s...!” He began to yell, stopping right on his tracks as he encountered a man waiting inside the room. “...clear.” He exhaled. “Oh fuck.”

The man threw a knife at him. Jisung evaded it easily and ran back to where he had left Changbin, who was dealing with his own little problem. There was a young looking girl smiling at them in a way that could only be described as an eerie. Jisung cursed once again, receiving a side-glance from Changbin.

“But you wanted to come explore the house, right?” The oldest said, mocking Jisung’s voice.

“There’s another one upstairs that’s probably coming down as we speak.” Jisung added, trying not to feel too offended at the imitation. It had been nothing like him.

“Just great.” Changbin couldn’t take his eyes away from the girl, trying to figure out what she was going to do.

“What’s her deal?” Jisung muttered.

“Wish I knew.” As Changbin said this, the girl’s body started to glitch into weird forms, until it disappeared.

“Boo.” A voice said from above, and Jisung could barely contain his scream when they spotted the head of the girl coming out from the ceiling.

The other man had already gotten to them, and Jisung was barely fast enough to push Changbin out of the way when he threw another knife. He recognized one of the men Hyunjin had described from their trip to Incheon from the way the knife moved to follow them, but fortunately Jisung was still too fast for the man’s powers.

“Chan hyung I think we’re in trouble.” Jisung informed through the in-ear as he observed Changbin disappear right in front of his eyes. The girl had left as well. Jisung avoided another knife and ran behind the man to kick him and throw him on his knees.

“Was it a trap?” Chan asked, but his tone showed he already knew the answer was going to be affirmative.

“Pretty much-“ Jisung ran away to the kitchen, trying to hide for a moment. “This is really not how I pictured my first mission going.”

In the second floor, Changbin found himself surrounded by a dozen of copies of the same girl. Her powers reminded him of his own, but there was something that felt more spectral to her, almost like she wasn’t even real. Changbin needed to find the original in order to fight her. From what he had seen, none of these copies were tangible for long, they were more like empty vessels the girl used to interact with him, so she had to be somewhere.

“God, I really don’t want to do this.” Changbin complained.

“Should’ve let me go instead,” Jeongin said through his in-ear. Changbin groaned.

“Not the time, brat.” Changbin stepped back as one of the copies came forward and tried to charge at him, but he ended up receiving a kick from his back instead. “Well, that is one good trick, but two can play this game.”

Changbin went invisible, and started attacking the copies one by one until he came with the one that was being used at the moment. He wrapped his arms around her neck and tried to knock her unconscious, but it didn’t last long as the control passed to another puppet. He definitely needed to find the original instead.

Jisung was still trying to hide when he heard the man approach the kitchen. So he did what he knew best and grabbed anything that was within his reach to throw it at his assailant. His speed made it impossible for him to dodge, so he was attacked with a rain of glass cups, pans and tableware. Which, Jisung realized after he had thrown them, had not been a good idea since the man could control metal.

He needed to think of a way to beat the man with speed. But of course, the answer was simple. The man couldn’t shoot at him and couldn’t defend himself if he couldn’t see him. Jisung didn’t like the experience of moving that fast however, it felt like he was being pulled away from reality, but it was the only chance he was going to get at winning. 

So he waited until the man threw another knife at him, closing his eyes. He opened them just a fraction of a second later, and it was like the world had stopped around him. He moved to stand behind the man, observing as the knife turned to follow him, since the man’s mind was still focused on his target. And then he let go, returning everything to it’s normal speed.

There was no special sound as the knife dug into the man while trying to get to Jisung. He just sort of ran away, not staying long enough to see how the man flopped over on the floor. He pulled on his t-shirt’s collar once he was out of the house, trying to breathe as deep as possible, and not think about what he had just done.

“Holy fuck.” Jisung exclaimed, voice shaky.

“What is it? Are you okay?” Chan’s voice immediately cut in, fearing the worst.

“I think I just killed someone.” Jisung hiccuped, trying to clear his mind with every breath.

“Hyung...” Jeongin muttered.

“Jisung, hey, focus on my voice.” Chan tried to claim his attention. “You didn’t do anything wrong, everything is going to be fine. Look, I need you to do me a favor: you have to find Changbin, he needs your help, okay? Jisung, breathe, Changbin needs you.”

“Right, yes.” Jisung breathed out. “Hyung needs me.” He let go of his shirt, pulling himself together as much as he could before storming into the house once again. He ran directly to the second floor, not even sparing a glance at the man he had been fighting with just moments ago for fear it would freeze him once again. 

Changbin had been trying to fight the girl like that. The invisibility allowed him to stay safe from her attacks, but it was impossible to hold her in one place because of the vessels that were around her. Such a number probably required a lot of energy, so Changbin was certain that she was close by, he just needed to find her. When he saw Jisung walking into the room, he decided that asking him to be bait was the best chance he had.

“Jisung...” He whispered next to the younger’s ear, almost causing him a heart attack. “Listen, I don’t have much time, keep her busy. It’ll be okay as long as you don’t let her touch you, I have to find the real one out here.”

He didn’t even wait for him to agree before leaving. Changbin searched every corner of the house as fast as he could while Jisung kept the girl busy by avoiding her attacks to the best of his abilities. He walked past the corpse that Jisung had abandoned and felt bad for the younger, but continued with his search. She was nowhere to be found inside the house, but he still believed she must be close by, so he went for the next most obvious solution.

“This is where I’d like to have Jeongin’s powers, I could borrow the spiders’ ability to climb,” Changbin muttered as he returned to the second floor and opened a window.

“What are you doing?” Chan asked. His voice sounded funny when he was alarmed.

“She’s not inside the house, so I’m obviously searching on the rooftop.”

“Please be careful hyung,” Jeongin whined, and Changbin couldn’t help but coo.

“I’ll be fine.” He got out of the window and held as tightly as he could to the frame. The structure was not very convenient for such a stunt, but Changbin pushed forward and made his slow hike up the house, until he was eventually standing on the rooftop.

He couldn’t see anything at first, and the fact that his eyesight was poor due to the invisibility didn’t help. However, as he walked closer to the center, he managed to spot the girl just sitting down on the floor with her eyes closed. Changbin felt like it was a coward move to attack her like that, but they didn’t have much time. He crouched behind her and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Her eyes opened and she trashed around, trying to get Changbin off of her, until her movements became weaker and she stopped fighting. Changbin let go of her once he was certain she had passed out, and then he let go of his invisibility as well. The hike down was faster and more reckless as he tried to make his way back to Jisung. When he returned, he found Jisung sitting on the floor, completely exhausted and breathing heavily. Changbin helped him up and did a quick check up to make sure the younger was fine.

“Are you two okay?” Chan asked through the in-ear.

“Uh, yes, for the most part.” Changbin finished checking Jisung and decided there was nothing much to worry about.

“Do you two have any idea on the state of Seungmin and Hyunjin? We haven’t heard from them since you two separated.” Chan continued, and Changbin could bet he looked even more concerned than he sounded.

“No, but let’s go look for them,” Changbin said and Jisung nodded in agreement. They both headed out of the house.

* * *

“Oh so you know my name!” Woojin exclaimed in fake surprise, moving the gun around in such a careless way that it made Hyunjin nervous he could fire it by accident. “I’m glad some people still know me by my real name instead of The Eye of Providence. I know it was my idea but people repeat it so much it’s starting to sound pretentious and-“

“What do you want?” Hyunjin cut him off, his voice was strained and he kept messing with the end of his shirt.

“Straight to the point I see.” Woojin sighed. “You’re working for Chan right? Oh, don’t answer, I already know you are. What I really want to know is why.”

“Because you’re manipulating a lot of people into creating chaos in the country?” Hyunjin couldn’t help but answer like it was a question, trying to keep himself calm.

“Ah right, the protests.” Woojin nodded. “To be fair, I never told them to protest, I just published the information on the site and people started all that.”

“But you’re giving them the tools.” Hyunjin pointed.

“That, I guess I am, but what is wrong with that? People want justice, supers want justice, why wouldn’t I help them achieve that?” 

“What’s the reason for the meeting rooms then?” Hyunjin felt dizzy, on edge. More confused than he had ever felt before.

“Well, Chan is actively trying to hunt me down, it’d be stupid of me to not try to defend myself, and…” Woojin chuckled. “I was most certainly the brains in our team.”

“Why are you doing all of this? You almost got my friend killed and—“ Hyunjin said frantically.

“Woah, slow down there, I did no such thing.” Woojin raised his arms, and Hyunjin flinched as he watched the gun move. “I didn’t know who you were before that fight in the house, those men were tasked with defending the meeting room, that’s about it; it was Chan who sent you there unprepared. You and Felix are just unprepared kids, and Chan’s sending you to war like trained soldiers.”

“Why do you know his name?” Hyunjin felt his resolution escape him little by little. He had never met someone as confusing as Woojin before, it scared him.

“Oh, I know everything about you, my powers are sort of that...” Woojin smiled, gesturing vaguely to his face. “Which is why I decided to share everything I know with the world, and I know too much.”

“So...” Hyunjin felt powerless, confused.

“I know what Chan told you, but how can he know that what I’m doing isn’t right when he will continue to defend those who are the real villains?” Woojin put the gun down. “Everything that I’ve published on that site is true, they’re using us, Hyunjin. I know you want to complete your studies and become successful, that’s a pretty good goal... But you won’t make it, not with how the country works right now.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin’s shoulders slumped. He felt lost.

“You have a very interesting power Hyunjin, very useful if used right, which is why they’re not going to let you live how you want if you’re discovered.” Woojin narrowed his eyes. “Humans are selfish. They created this superhero agencies so they could control as many of us as possible, we’re like trading cards for them. You joined this because you thought it was an adventure, but it is more than that.

“Your best friend got hurt because of Bang Chan, and now you’re here, alone and afraid. And if you defeat me and go out, Chan is probably going to expose you to the world as a hero, and they will never leave you alone. You’ll become a collectible, a tool.” The smile disappeared from Woojin’s face. “They’ll use you, like they used me.”

“I don’t want that.” Hyunjin mumbled. He felt so small at that moment, so confused.

“I know you don’t, I didn’t want it either. You’re just like me.” Woojin smiled again.

“What should I do, then?” Hyunjin thought of Felix back at the hospital. They had been friends for so long, and Woojin was right: Chan was sending them to war unprepared, and with what intentions? Hyunjin couldn’t be sure.

“Stop him. Stop Bang Chan.” Woojin put the gun away, knowing it was no longer necessary. “He is noble but his intentions are misguided. I will help you get your life back. I’ll create a world in which supers will be treated right, like the superior beings we are. You will no longer know pain, I promise.”

Hyunjin’s expression was that of great doubt. Woojin couldn’t help but smile, knowing well that this was enough, that the necessary steps had been taken. Hyunjin was now his, even if he didn’t seem completely certain yet.

“I have to go, Hyunjin, but remember what I told you today.” Woojin walked up to him and patted his shoulder softly, before making a sign to the man that was accompanying him and leaving the warehouse.

Hyunjin felt his knees give out under him and he let himself fall on the floor, breathing heavily. He felt dizzy and tired. He wanted to get close to Seungmin and make sure the other was alright, but he couldn’t get himself to move from his position, like he had been frozen in place.

A couple of minutes later, Changbin and Jisung came running through the door. Jisung immediately went to check on his friend while Changbin walked over to Seungmin and checked his vitals, only relaxing when he was sure the other was alive. He checked him for injuries, but there was nothing visible. Jisung checked on Hyunjin as well, but both of them seemed to be completely fine.

“What happened here, why is Seungmin unconscious?” Changbin asked, trying not to raise his voice.

“A man attacked us, but he left already.” Hyunjin explained, using Jisung as support to stand up. “He knocked Seungmin unconscious and I tried to fight him the best I could, but he got the best of me. He suddenly left thought, I don’t know why.” Changbin cursed before taking a deep breath.

“It’s okay, let’s go home.”

* * *

Minho received Jisung with a tight hug and everyone else with a nod when they asked if they could come in. Chan was carrying Seungmin on his back, who was still feeling sick from the fainting. When asked, he had said he couldn’t remember much from the whole mission, just that he had fainted and that was it.

Minho offered him a bed in the spare room that Jisung used as his —although they mostly slept on Minho’s room— and tended to him while the others spoke in the living room, which had become their own meeting room. Changbin and Jisung reported their side of the story with detail, telling Chan of the fight and the powers the others supers had had. No one mentioned what Jisung had done.

“What about you, Hyunjin?” Chan followed up, looking at him. Hyunjin had his eyes trained on his hands. He looked absolutely exhausted, but still made his best effort to answer.

“A man attacked us—“ Hyunjin raised his eyes and saw Seungmin looking at him from the alleyway. He felt his throat dry out and had to clear it. “He rendered Seungmin unconscious and I tried to fight him but I don’t think I did too well, and then he just left suddenly.” Seungmin held his gaze, before turning around and leaving back to the room. 

“What were his powers like?” Chan continued, the interaction going unnoticed.

“I’m not entirely sure, he was just so good at fighting. But I felt tired and dizzy, so I think maybe he was draining my energy.” Hyunjin had no idea where that lie had come from, but he chose not to question himself.

“I see.” Chan nodded. “I think it’s obvious Woojin is unto us, but I have no idea how, so we have to be careful.”

“Do you think we’re being spied, just like we’re spying him?” Jeongin asked.

“It could be, we shouldn’t discard any possibilities until we know, but for now we’ll have to take a different approach.” Chan sighed. “You were in too much danger today, and it’s my fault. I’m gonna take a different approach from now on, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t beat yourself up hyung,” Jisung comforted him. “We had no way of knowing, he’s using a very complicated web of independent people that follow him for some reason; it can get very unpredictable.”

“Jisung is right, don’t worry too much.” Changbin agreed, patting Chan on the back.

“Thanks guys.” Chan got up and clapped his hands. “Well, I’m inviting today’s dinner to award your efforts, order whatever you like!” Everyone cheered in response, immediately going into a lengthy discussion of what they should eat.

Minho then appeared on the entrance of the room and signaled Chan to join him in the kitchen. The oldest hesitated for a moment before excusing himself and following Minho to the kitchen. There was a moment of silence in which Minho made sure they were not being spied on, before he addressed the reason he had separated Chan from the others.

“I know I said I wouldn’t involve myself but I was listening in on your conversation just now and thought Hyunjin was acting strange.” Minho leaned against the kitchen counter. “I tried to conjure a vision of him. I think Hyunjin will attempt something dangerous; I can’t say for sure, he hasn’t made his mind yet, so the vision is not very clear.”

“A decision regarding to what?” Chan asked, confused.

“I don’t know, the past is not in my domain; I have no idea what could’ve put him in such a conflicted situation, but I think you should watch out for him.” Minho explained.

“Okay, I’ll keep it mind, thanks Minho.” Chan nodded, heading out of the kitchen to join the others so he could know what they had ordered for dinner.

* * *

Hyunjin arrived to his apartment and immediately locked himself in his room. He felt desperate, trapped. He trashed his room until there was no way to make it more disastrous. Until he had lost every little bit of control over his power and he kept flashing around just transporting around his room. And then he finally calmed down and finished on the floor, among all the clothes he had scattered around.

He felt like he was choking on air. He had lied to Jisung and Jeongin, his friends. He had lied to Changbin, who had been nothing but nice since they had met. He had lied to Chan, who had put every ounce of trust on him. He had looked Seungmin in the eye and spewed the lie even though Seungmin had been there. And he hated the fact that the feeling of relief of them believing him was stronger than the regret.

“What on Earth is wrong with me?” He mumbled, standing up to leave his room.

Felix’s room received him with emptiness. Hyunjin missed Felix more than anything. The two had been together since high school and they had been inseparable. Felix was his biggest source of comfort when things got rough, and now he was not there anymore. And it was all because of what Bang Chan had asked from them.

Woojin had been right. Hyunjin was nothing more than an ignorant kid that had been thrown into battle thinking it was nothing more than a video game adventure. And now his best friend was in the hospital, recovering slowly because the little supers that had healing powers all belonged to private superhero companies.

As he stared into Felix’s room, Hyunjin came to the realization that things were just wrong. That he and Felix didn’t deserve this. But could he do it? Could he do what Woojin had asked for him? He wasn’t even sure he wanted to try. All he really wanted, in the end, was to go back in time and reject Chan’s offer. At least everything would be a little less painful.

* * *

Seungmin walked into Woojin’s office like he had been doing in the last few weeks. Woojin was sitting at his desk, focused on a book until he heard Seungmin walk in and turned to face him. Seungmin’s face was stoic, his posture tense, and Woojin couldn’t help but smile, knowing what was going through the youngest’s mind.

“What is the report for today?” Woojin asked, deceitfully cheerful.

“Chan and the others know you must be getting your information from somewhere, but they still don’t suspect me.” Seungmin explained.

“Very well, I’m glad to hear that, what else?” Woojin continued to inquire, putting a bookmark where he had been reading.

“They’re planning on changing tactics, but it’s still uncertain what they’re going to do.” Seungmin trained his eyes on the book, following Woojin’s movement without daring to look him in the eyes.

“Come on Seungmin,” Woojin put the book on the desk with force, startling him, “you know that’s not what I want to hear.” Seungmin nodded, swallowing hard.

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” He took a big breath before continuing. “Hwang Hyunjin didn’t tell them about his meeting with you. He lied to them.” Woojin smiled in satisfaction.

“That’s very good, I have high hopes for him.” Woojin nodded. “I assume you didn’t do anything to disprove him, right?”

“Not at all, I was unconscious, and because they found me like that, no one doubts it.”

“Excellent, now we just need time for Hyunjin to make his move and—“ Woojin looked over at Seungmin and stopped talking. “You don’t look too happy, Seungmin.”

“What do you mean sir?” Seungmin kept his eyes on the floor, trying to not look him in the eyes.

“You should be happy. Don’t you like him? Now he’s on our side! Or well, he’ll be when he does what I asked of him.” Woojin chuckled. “But I’m sure it won’t take him long, his resolution is a bit weak so maybe a couple of days, but it’ll be fine.”

“Yes, sir.” Seungmin nodded.

“And now, we sit and wait, and enjoy the play.” Woojin grabbed his book once again and opened where he had left off, completely disregarding Seungmin’s presence after that.

Seungmin left after a few minutes, uncertainty engraved in his heart.


	12. Cause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The garden was full of sorrow  
> Songbirds and unusual winds whistled a rhyme  
> Clouds caused to appear and cast down darkness  
> For this was the first day the sun didn't shine”   
> ― John E. Wordslinger
> 
> Hyunjin makes a choice and finds a new cause to follow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m glad to be back again with a new chapter of Versus! I truly hope you like it, and don’t forget to leave kudos and comments if you do!
> 
> I’m curious, do y’all read the quotes I put as summary? They’re there for a reason ;) also! Don’t forget you can now request me stuff on my tumblr which is in the end notes.
> 
> Enjoy!

“I’m here to see Lee Felix.” Hyunjin said to the receptionist, who proceeded to register him and give him a visitor’s pass.

Hyunjin made his way to Felix’s room slowly. His friend had finally been taken out the ICU and was now able to rest in a normal room and have visits that lasted longer than five minutes. He felt like he owed his friend a visit, a proper one. And he also missed Felix a lot, he needed to talk to him and clear his mind. He needed to make a choice.

When he finally arrived to the room, Felix was sitting down and finishing his lunch. He greeted Hyunjin with a smile, glad to be able to see his friend after all the time he had spent in the intensive care unit. He quickly finished the jelly that came as dessert and put everything away, so he and Hyunjin could have some more space to talk.

“You had me abandoned here,” Felix complained with a cute voice, to which Hyunjin laughed awkwardly.

“I’m sorry,” he replied, smiling. “How are you doing Lix?”

“Better.” Felix shrugged. “It does hurt, and it’s difficult to sleep, but I’m better.” Hyunjin smiled at him, and Felix had to force himself to not put him straight into a hug when he realized his friend was about to cry. “Don’t do this to me, I don’t see you for days and you want to cry as soon as you visit me?”

“I’m sorry.” Hyunjin laughed breathily and tried to compose himself, rubbing his face without mercy. “God, this is so stupid.”

“What have you been up to? Are you taking good notes in class? I’m going to need those later.” Felix tried to change the topic, to make him feel better.

“You know, the missions and all that, we almost got killed yesterday, the usual.” Hyunjin’s voice broke down towards the end of the sentence, but he managed to clear his throat and continue. “And you know damn well my notes are good.”

“Eh, well,” Felix teased. “Your writing could be better.”

“Oh shut up.” Hyunjin laughed. “One more insult to my writing and I’m not passing you the notes.”

Both laughed for a moment until the tension dissipated and they were left in a comfortable silence. Hyunjin grabbed Felix’s hand and played with his fingers, although his mind was obviously somewhere else.

“What are you thinking about?” Felix asked finally, stopping Hyunjin and grabbing his hand firmly.

“I think-” Hyunjin exhaled- “I’m having second thoughts, about all of this.” Felix nodded, giving him time to clear his mind and talk. “I don’t want to have them, everyone has been nice, but I just, I don’t know.”

“I think I understand where you’re coming from.” Felix nodded, squeezing his hand before letting go. “It’s okay to doubt yourself sometimes, the answer eventually shows up anyway.” 

“What would you do, in my situation?” Hyunjin moved the chair so he was closer to Felix’s bed.

“Well... Do you want me to be brutally honest?” Felix chuckled. Hyunjin nodded. “I hate this.” Felix covered his face, trying to gather his thoughts. “I thought I could do more, but look where I am. I hate every single decision that led me to this moment. I hate the hospital and I hate the pain and-“ Felix took a deep breath- “I know it’s not Chan hyung’s fault, but I resent him a bit, even when the choice was mine. But I guess it’s easier to blame others.”

Hyunjin felt his heart constrict inside his chest, painfully. He remembered Woojin’s words, about Chan sending kids to war like they were soldiers. He glanced at the place where Felix’s injury was and knew at that moment what his decision was. He didn’t need to think anymore about it.

“It’s okay Lix, we’ll get out of this.” Hyunjin smiled. “I promise.”

* * *

Minho enjoyed working from home. It made it easier to take care of himself when he was having one of the really bad headaches he would get sometimes. He could lie down when he got dizzy without anyone asking questions or making a scene. It wasn’t particularly easy. Working from home required a lot of discipline and sometimes it would be hard to get out from bed; but he was good at it, and it paid the bills, so he didn’t mind.

That day, he was sitting in his room with the lights off and sunglasses protecting his eyes from the laptop’s screen. His head was killing him. He had been using his power a lot more than before because he was worried about Hyunjin, so he had had a powerful migraine for days now. Even so, he needed to deliver the report he was working on before that evening, or there would be repercussions.

Jisung walked into the room holding a cup of tea. He placed the tea next to Minho on his desk and snatched away his laptop, safely putting it on the bed so Minho couldn’t reach for it. There was a soft complaint from the oldest as he made a weak attempt to grab it back, but eventually gave up as Jisung held his hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Please get a break,” Jisung whispered. “Just ten minutes,” he added when Minho was about to complain.

The oldest wanted the break so badly that he didn’t complain again when Jisung promised it would only be ten minutes. Instead, he grabbed the cup of tea and sipped on it quietly as Jisung massaged his temples softly. Ten minutes passed by and Minho had yet to finish his tea, but he wasn’t going to complain or leave the tea to cool down, so he continued to drink.

“Is it good?” Jisung asked, removing Minho’s glasses so he could look in his eyes. Minho had gigantic eye bags under his eyes, but the younger didn’t address it.

“I think I make it better, but it’s pretty good.” Minho teased, putting the cup away so he could hug Jisung close, who slapped him on the shoulder playfully.

“Come on, finish it so you can go back to work, finish and come to bed with me.” Jisung hurried him, hoping Minho’s torture would be over soon.

“Is that an invitation?” Minho wiggled his eyebrows, grabbing the cup again.

Jisung was about to complain, scandalized, when Minho dropped his cup and started shaking. He saw his eyes turned white as something covered them and Minho stopped responding. No matter how many times Jisung saw him having a vision, it was always terrifying to see. Instead, he held Minho close so he wouldn’t harm himself and stared at the broken cup on the floor until the vision finished and Minho slumped against him, exhausted.

“Are you okay?” Jisung whispered when Minho was back. Minho squeezed Jisung’s arm tightly, taking deep breaths to recover himself. “Have you been keeping your mind open to visions? Is that why you’re so tired?”

“We need to find Bang Chan.” Minho said without answering the rest of the questions, looking Jisung in the eyes. “Where is my cellphone?” Minho looked around his desk and in his clothes, but he couldn’t find it. “Just give me yours.”

“Why? What did you see?” Jisung fumbled to take his cellphone out of his pants pocket before giving it to Minho, who immediately searched for Chan’s contact.

“Chan and Hyunjin are in danger.” Minho stated, calling Chan’s number again and again although the older wouldn’t pick up. “He’s not picking up.”

“He’s probably at work.” Jisung clicked his tongue. Minho tried to stand up, but his legs gave up under him and Jisung helped him sit back down. “What are you doing?”

“I need to find either of them.” Minho stated, his face contorted in pain as his head throbbed.

“Don’t, I’ll do it,” Jisung stopped him from getting up once again. “But hyung, what did you see?”

“Hyunjin is going to try to kill Chan.”

* * *

Hyunjin had made his decision. It was easy, really. Felix’s words were all he had needed to hear to make his choice, and now Woojin’s words didn’t feel like a weight to him. He had no idea how he was going to do it, but it didn’t really matter. Hyunjin felt a little desperate, longing for a life of peace that would allow him to become successful, not for his powers but for who he was.

Woojin had promised him all that, and somehow he knew that Woojin had the means to achieve it. The only thing Hyunjin had to do was get rid of Chan. He repeated to himself that he didn’t really know the older man, that this was for him and Felix. That their friends would probably understand that what he was going to do was for the best once Woojin had created a better world for them.

He was so convinced about his thought process, that he grabbed the sharpest knife he was able to get and walked over to the JYP headquarters. It was a stupidly bold move, since Chan wasn’t the only superhero working for the company, but he was so hard to reach that it would have to suffice. He waited outside of the building, a couple of blocks away so he wouldn’t look too suspicious.

When he received Jisung’s first call, Hyunjin knew something was wrong, so he didn’t pick up. His friend was insistent, and he ended up turning the phone off in hopes that Jisung would stop trying. Hyunjin needed to do this. His hand rested around the handle of the knife hidden in his hoodie’s pocket. The blade was carelessly wrapped by a drier to avoid an unfortunate accident.

Hyunjin waited like this for a few hours, until it was late in the evening. His throat was dry, but it barely felt like time had passed when he saw Chan exit the company’s building. He remembered Jisung had been trying to call him and checked to make sure his friend wasn’t around before approaching Chan. Once he revealed his true intentions to the oldest, there was no going back.

“Hyunjin?” Chan asked once the younger was close enough to be seen. Chan immediately grabbed him by the arm and guided him elsewhere, far away from the company. “What are you doing here?” Chan pulled the face mask he was wearing up to make sure it was covering his features well.

“I wanted to see you...” Hyunjin muttered, allowing Chan to just pull him along somewhere. He felt relieved that he wasn’t going to have to carry out his plan in front of the company.

“It’s dangerous if you come to the company, we could be discovered and it would blow our whole plan over...” Chan continued walking, not dragging Hyunjin anymore and just sort of letting him follow.

“Sorry...” Hyunjin walked just a little behind him, keeping his hands inside the hoodie’s pocket.

“So what did you want to talk about?” When Chan decided they were far away enough, he pulled down his face mask and turned to look at Hyunjin, prompting him to talk.

“Well... I sort of wanted to ask you something, I guess.” Hyunjin kept going around the point, trying to get himself some time.

“And that is?” 

As Hyunjin was getting ready to respond, Chan’s phone started ringing. They both stopped walking and the older asked for a moment as he took his cell phone out and looked at the ID. Hyunjin got a glance at it, and it was enough to make him worry. He reached his hand and covered the phone out of impulse, trying to gain Chan’s attention back.

“Don’t answer it,” Hyunjin said, trying to move the phone away from Chan.

“Why? It’s just Jisung...” Chan raised an eyebrow at him, and Hyunjin knew he was starting to get suspicious, so he moved his hand away.

“Just, please don’t...” Hyunjin repeated, his other hand clenching on the knife’s handle.

“I’m gonna answer it, Hyunjin.” Chan touched the green button and brought the cellphone close to his ear.

“Hyung!” Jisung spoke from the other side of the line, sounding out of breath.

“What is it Jisung?” He asked, keeping his eyes trained on Hyunjin.

“Where are you?”

“Why is that important?” Chan looked around, thinking maybe Jisung was nearby, looking for him.

“You’re in danger!” Jisung was definitely running now, if he hadn’t been before. “Hyunjin is acting weird!”

Chan looked at Hyunjin again before hanging up and putting his cellphone away. Hyunjin looked back at him in complete silence, waiting for something. Chan thought back on their last mission, of how Hyunjin had seemed out of himself and had given them a vague answer of what had happened at the warehouse, and it was like a lightbulb lit up inside his head.

“Hyunjin,” Chan started. “Did you meet with Woojin that day at the warehouse?” Hyunjin stared right back at him.

“I’m sorry hyung.” He pulled the knife out of the pocket and stabbed Chan on the chest...

Except the knife didn’t go in. Chan had Hyunjin’s wrist tightly secured with his hands, pulling it away from his body. Both of them looked at each other in pure surprise. Hyunjin realized he had failed his mission and disappeared, causing Chan to stumble forward. Chan turned around, looking frantically, but he couldn’t see the other. Hyunjin appeared behind Chan and tried to stab him once again. He managed to graze his side with the knife as Chan moved away and blasted him with light, causing Hyunjin to be thrown away a few meters.

“What are you doing?!” Chan yelled at him, as Hyunjin stood up and disappeared once again.

The people that were walking on the street moved away from Chan. They were all looking, surprised, as they pulled out their devices to record the unprecedented fight that was happening in front of them. Chan pulled up his mask and yelled at them to leave, that it was dangerous, but no one was listening to him. Just as he tried to get their attention again, Hyunjin dropped onto his back and tried to strangle him.

Chan struggled to pull Hyunjin off of his back. Instead, he gave up and fell on his back, knocking the air out of Hyunjin from the impact, who let go of him. Both of them struggled to recover their breath as Chan rolled off of Hyunjin and knelt on the ground. The younger disappeared once again before he could do anything, and reappeared at a safe distance from him.

“Why are you doing this?” Chan asked as he stood up.

“It’s my mission,” Hyunjin replied, holding the knife tightly in his hand. “I have to do this.”

“You don’t have to.” Chan tried persuading him. “We don’t need to do this, you can help me find Woojin and we can change things around.”

“That is not true,” Hyunjin insisted. “Nothing will change if I help you.” 

“What do you mean?” Chan tilted his head, trying to approach him.

“What you want is to keep things as they are.” Hyunjin moved back as much as Chan tried to walk towards him. “He promised real change. You’re a superhero hyung, aren’t you? Why? They’re using you, and I don’t want to live in a world in which I’ll become a tool.”

“That’s not true. You’re inexperienced Hyunjin, you don’t understand what you’re saying.” Chan shook his head.

“Just like how I don’t understand that you’re using us?” Hyunjin stopped moving, letting him get close. “Why would you choose us? So you can keep it a secret from your boss and keep your job? Meanwhile we end up in the hospital and do the dirty job for you.”

“Hyunjin, if this is about Felix, I’m sorry,” Chan stopped walking as well. “You’re right, I haven’t been doing as much as I should have. I’ll change that, I’ll be better. But I need you.”

Hyunjin lowered the knife. Chan sighed, relieved, and took the chance to walk closer, thinking that maybe he had been successful in his attempts to calm him down. But when he was close enough to see Hyunjin in the eyes, he noticed the little glint in his eyes that he was too far gone. Chan put his hands up and grabbed the knife as Hyunjin tried to stab him once again. He could feel his palms open up and bleed, but he held on as much as he could before Hyunjin disappeared again.

Chan’s left leg gave up on him when Hyunjin appeared behind and cut his calf. He screamed in pain as his hands came in contact with the ground to keep his balance, but managed to keep his posture. Hyunjin materialized in front of him once again and sunk the blade on Chan’s shoulder. Chan screamed once again, but grabbed Hyunjin by the wrist and pulled him closer, sinking the knife deeper into his shoulder.

The youngest looked and him in confusion and tried to pull away, but Chan didn’t waste any time and focused as much energy as he could before letting it go in a contained but powerful explosion. Hyunjin was blown away until he crashed against a building. The speed was such that the wall cracked underneath him before he fell to the ground. People ran away, screaming, and chaos spread through the street.

Chan stood up. His clothes were soaked in blood and he was starting to get dizzy, but he still walked over to where Hyunjin was laying on the ground. He was miraculously conscious, but one of his legs was bent in a position that shouldn’t be humanly possible, and it didn’t take long before he started to cry in absolute pain. Chan knocked him out with a quick punch to the face and proceeded to call emergencies, calling Bambam right after so he could be taken to JYP’s private hospital and get treated right away.

“This is a fucking mess,” He whispered, sitting on the ground next to Hyunjin to wait.

* * *

The news spread fast, and Seungmin’s heart broke a little when he heard. Jisung had found Hyunjin and Chan a little after their fight had finished. He had gone with Hyunjin to the hospital while Chan had left somewhere by himself, and he had taken the task to let the others know about Hyunjin’s state and that he was going to be admitted at the hospital. 

Woojin’s message arrived absurdly fast. It didn’t even give Seungmin the chance to swallow the news before he was heading to Woojin’s office to make a report. Except, he doubted he knew more than Woojin himself about the incident, so it felt more like he was being mocked. Even so he made his way to Woojin’s and knocked on the door as soon as he arrived before walking in.

Like usual, Woojin was sitting on his wheeled chair and was doing something on his desk, although Seungmin couldn’t quite tell what it was from how the chair was obscuring his view. He stood right next to the chair and waited for Woojin to speak first, since he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing there in the first place.

“It’s such a shame.” Woojin sighed, turning around with the chair. “I really had high hopes on him.” Seungmin didn’t answer, what was he supposed to say in that situation? “Any idea of his condition?”

“No, sir.” Seungmin shook his hair. “Last thing Jisung told me was that he was being rushed to the operation room, but it’s too soon, so I don’t know anything else.”

Woojin nodded, agreeing with him. There was a moment of silence as Woojin seemed to think of something, and Seungmin couldn’t help but wonder just how had Woojin known of the fight so fast. He guessed it was easier to ask than to wonder, so he went ahead and did so.

“How did you hear about it so quickly?” 

“Ah yeah, well.” Woojin tilted his head, leaning back on his chair. “I asked someone to follow Hyunjin.”

“Why?” Seungmin frowned slightly, confused.

“I can be pretty convincing, but it doesn’t always work.” He shrugged. “If he didn’t at least try to fulfill his mission, I was going to have him killed, so he couldn’t reveal anything about us. Not that he knew much anyway.”

Seungmin’s heart sank in his chest and he tried not to let it show, but with just one look at his eyes, Woojin was smiling knowingly. The oldest laughed, shaking his head as he did, almost like he couldn’t believe something.

“Don’t do this to yourself Seungmin, it’s too cruel.” Woojin smiled, looking up at him.

“What do you mean?” Seungmin’s throat felt dry.

“If you want to play silly that’s fine by me, makes it easier to keep your head in the game.” Woojin nodded, and then sighed. “I’m just a tiny bit disappointed, you know? I expected a bit more from Hyunjin, he seemed promising. But I was right after all, Chan is just sending kids to war. Too bad Hyunjin didn’t realize I was pretty much asking him to do the same.”

* * *

Sneaking into the ICU was extremely difficult, but Seungmin managed. Hyunjin’s operation had been lengthy and difficult. He had broken both legs and his left arm, had a concussion and even internal bleeding; everyone was surprised that he had survived the impact at all, and assumed that his super nature had made him more resilient.

When he found him, sprawled on the hospital’s bed, Hyunjin was hanging to consciousness by a thread. It seemed like he didn’t want to give himself up to the medication, and Seungmin was glad about finding him awake. Seungmin stood next to the bed and leaned down, putting himself close enough so he could hear Hyunjin talk.

“Hey,” he whispered, trying to keep a low profile. Hyunjin turned to look at him with difficulty, and smiled.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He whispered back with a hoarse voice.

“I know.” Seungmin smiled back at him, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” Hyunjin groaned. “Even with the medicine I can kind of feel the pain like a constant buzz on my body, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Seungmin reassured him, moving his fringe away from his face.

“Can I ask you a question?” Hyunjin asked, and Seungmin nodded.

“You already did, but I’ll let you ask another one.”

“Stop being an ass.” Hyunjin smiled, before frowning again. “Why didn’t you say the truth at the meeting?” At Seungmin’s confused look, Hyunjin continued. “You were there, when I told them someone had attacked us and knocked you out. I didn’t reveal I had met with Woojin... Actually, how did you even know it was Woojin?”

Seungmin felt taken aback by his question, but did his best to maintain his composure. He didn’t think Hyunjin would ever get suspicious of him, he didn’t want him to be suspicious of him. 

“I didn’t know it was him.” Seungmin sighed. “But I knew you were lying, you’re not very good at it, you know? You only mentioned one person when I knew there was another one, but I figured there was a reason you were lying? And I just... I don’t know, I guess I wanted to protect you.” Seungmin attempted a weak smile. “But now you’re here, so I guess it didn’t work out very well.”

“You idiot, protect yourself first, you were knocked out too easily.” Hyunjin chuckled. “Hey, I have another question.”

“What is it now?” Seungmin whined, just then remembering he wasn’t supposed to be there.

“If I wasn’t on this bed, would you go out on a date with me?” Hyunjin’s smile was teasing as he said this.

Seungmin couldn’t help but blush slightly, feeling embarrassed. But if his heart had broken before when talking to Woojin, now it was completely destroyed, as he knew very well that he was part of the reason that left Hyunjin prostrated in bed. He forced himself to smile and laugh it off, despite feeling like the world was falling on top of him.

“First recover and then we’ll see.” He promised, knowing well enough that his feelings were nothing but a burden. He was digging his own grave, and it felt like there was just no way of getting out now.


	13. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides."  
> -André Malraux
> 
> After the fight with Hyunjin, Chan decides a change is necessary in order to move forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bring you the weekly update of versus :)) Hope you enjoy it, leave a kudo and a comment and remember you can contact me to my social media down in the end notes. Enjoy!

_Despite the recent events regarding the discovery of classified information that’s been putting superhero companies’ reputations into question, it seems like the CEOs of the biggest companies have no intentions of slowing down on their growth or changing the way they’ve been working for years now. A spokesperson from SM revealed to us that the company is working on a new, special project that will change the way we perceive supers, humans and the relationship between them. We are aware of our differences, he said, that is why we’re working on a project that will allow us to put those barriers down; everyone has the potential in them to become a super, and we will demonstrate that._

“Hello, I am here to visit someone.” Chan told the nurse in the reception, who had her attention focused on the newscaster in the TV.

“Ah, yes, give me a moment,” she replied with a smile, turning to her computer. “Who are you visiting?” She asked, and Chan gave her Hyunjin’s name. “It’s crazy right? What’s happening these days. The whole situation with The Eye of Providence first and now SM promising they can turn us all into supers, as if they were capable of performing miracles.”

Chan just nodded and agreed with her, not quite in the mood for small talk. She gave him the room number and told him that, because Hyunjin was currently in the intensive care unit, he couldn’t stay for more than ten minutes. Chan assured her he wasn’t planning to, and that he would leave as soon as he was done.

He took the elevator and then walked all the way to the room. Hyunjin was laying on bed, unmoving. A closer inspection revealed that he had his eyes open and was staring at the ceiling with mild interest; Chan guessed there was nothing much he could do with his limbs all wrapped up like that.

“Hey,” he said, sitting on the chair next to Hyunjin’s bed and leaning closer. Hyunjin groaned upon seeing him, turning his face to look away.

“What are you doing here?” He snapped at Chan.

“Visiting you, clearly.” Chan scoffed. “Are you angry at me for putting you in the hospital?”

“Just like how you did with Felix?” Hyunjin mumbled. “No, I’m not angry because of that. I tried to kill you, you put me in the hospital, fair game.”

“I didn’t put Felix in the hospital, Woojin’s minions did.” Chan tried to explain himself calmly.

“But you sent us to that fight.”

“There was never supposed to be a fight, Hyunjin.” Chan felt his voice raise and took a deep breath to calm back down. “Changbin had been in one of those meeting rooms himself, they’re not supposed to be guarded. How was I supposed to know that Woojin was onto us? Can you believe me?” Hyunjin stared at him for a moment.

“Fine,” the youngest said, sighing afterwards. “Why are you here?”

“What did you talk about with Woojin?” Chan was straightforward, he needed to know more about his enemy’s plans.

“I don’t remember it clearly, it’s kind of like a fever dream,” Hyunjin hummed, trying to bring the memories back. “I just remember he said many promising things, and even if you think he’s evil hyung, I think he might be right in a lot of things.” Chan felt his jaw tighten as he tensed up, but kept his cool, he needed to keep Hyunjin talking.

“What sort of promising things?” 

“A world in which supers can live in peace, without having to suck up to normal humans.” Hyunjin smiled.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Hyunjin.” Chan stood up. “I hope you know you’re dismissed from the team, I can’t trust you anymore for what you did.”

“I know, that’s fair...” Hyunjin sighed, looking away. “I was starting to regret joining you, anyway, this is for the best.”

Chan left without saying another thing. He felt furious, but he refused to show it, so he swallowed his pride and left the hospital. He needed to talk with the others.

* * *

The meeting was called promptly and they all met at Minho’s house. Everyone thought that maybe he was starting to get tired of lending his home, but every time they went, he received them with a warm cup of tea and plenty of snacks. The house fell emptier without Hyunjin and Felix to joke with, especially for Jisung and Jeongin, who had been friends with them for a long time now.

Chan was the last one to arrive. He had taken some time to cool off, not wanting to make the meeting too serious or appear too aggressive in front of the rest. A lot of things had happened in the last few hours, and it was something they needed to address. But if Chan didn’t want to lose even more allies, then he would have to do it in the friendliest way possible.

Everyone tensed up when he arrived, it was unavoidable. By then, Jisung had alerted them all about the fight with Hyunjin and the state of the younger in the hospital. Chan didn’t resent him for it. Hyunjin was their ally, but more importantly, he was their friend. So if he didn’t want to lose them, he would need to work a lot on explaining the situation to them.

“So,” he began once they were all sat in place and in silence. “Sungie already told you, but an incident happened, and I had a fight with Hyunjin.”

A general murmur broke in the room. It was something they already knew, but it was like they had been waiting for Chan to confirm the rumor. Now that the truth had been revealed, they couldn’t help the words that spilled from their mouths.

“Given Hyunjin’s condition in the hospital, I know how this might make me look, so first and foremost I want to apologize with all of you for how poorly I’ve been managing everything.” This was the most serious anyone had seen him speak, and it certainly caught them all by surprise, but no one said anything.

“I didn’t want to fight Hyunjin, I tried to talk him out of it, but I couldn’t do it.” Chan continued to explain. “He was angry, and really tried to fulfill his mission, so I had to defend myself-”

“I believe you,” Jisung interrupted him from where he was sitting on top of Minho, who nodded as well. “Minho hyung had a vision, we were actually trying to find you and warn you about it, but I think you were busy with work.”

“It was impossible to reach you, and Hyunjin turned his phone off as well.” Minho added.

“But why did he attack you hyung?” Jeongin couldn’t help but ask, confused as to how the situation had arisen in the first place.

“He spoke with Woojin...” Seungmin replied, making all eyes turn on him. “I visited him in the hospital, and he told me everything.” He explained quickly. “Well, most of what he could recall anyway, but I still don’t understand how merely talking with him could’ve changed him like that.”

Everyone sat in silence for a moment, taking the information in. Changbin was staring right at Chan, waiting for him to give them all an explanation. He himself had trained with Woojin for a very short period of time, but he didn’t quite know what his powers consisted of. Chan was, ultimately, the one that knew the enemy best out of them, they needed him.

“Woojin’s powers are complicated, and dangerous,” Chan began explaining. “They’re not physical, like what most of us do. He has a way of getting into your head.” He struggled for a moment. “When Woojin looks into your eyes, he can know every single thing about you in just a couple of seconds..

“I’ve never understood exactly how it works, but I only know that when he knows everything about you, it is game over.” He sighed. “He gets a hold of your mind and manipulates it like dough. He can put ideas on your brain that weren’t even there before and make them yours. It’s scary.”

“Is that what he did with Hyunjin hyung?” Jeongin asked, stumbling with the sentence.

“I’m afraid so, otherwise I can’t explain why he would attack me like that.” Everyone was quiet for a moment before Chan continued. “I think we all need to take a break. I’m going to continue researching along with Changbin so we can choose a new, better goal and arm ourselves better. We need to recover from what happened with Hyunjin and restart with a fresher mind, okay?”

Everyone agreed. There was no questioning Chan after the new information they had received. They all understood just how much they had been underestimating their work, their mission, and it was terrifying to become conscious of that. Did they have what was needed to defeat someone like Woojin? They weren’t certain of that anymore.

* * *

A lot of the recent protests had ended up breaking up into fights. Every company was busy sending their heroes to end the fights and try to control the damage, but it was starting to get out of hand. Chan was just returning from stopping one of those protests when Bambam approached him at the entrance of the building. 

“Hey, Chan, you got some time?” Bambam asked as soon as he saw him, intercepting his walk.

“Uh, sure, I have to give a mission report, but it’s not super important so I think I can take some time if it’s urgent.” Chan looked at Bambam in confusion, but replied nonetheless.

“Oh yeah, it’s a bit urgent actually.” Bambam nodded. “Let’s go to my office so we can have a bit more... privacy.”

Chan followed Bambam in complete, awkward silence. He could tell something was off just by the way that his friend had approached him, but he couldn’t put that into question in the middle of the building’s hallway, so following him was the best option. They arrived at Bambam’s little office, and he closed the door behind them, making sure no one had followed them as well.

“What’s up? Is something wrong?” Chan couldn’t help but ask, still confused as to why he had been summoned.

“I don’t know, you tell me bud.” Bambam sprawled on his chair, too relaxed for Chan’s liking, and looked at him expectantly.

“What do you mean?” Chan took a couple of steps back, unable to avoid acting defensive.

“That, exactly, is what I mean,” Bambam’s smile disappeared as he said that. “You’re acting like you’re keeping a secret, and you get all defensive as soon as I bring it up.” Bambam crossed his legs and threw his arms in the air, looking like he was giving up. “I don’t know man, is something wrong?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” Chan said, slowly, choosing his following. “I’ve been thinking a lot about the past I guess, with these incidents happening, but I’m fine.”

“Right.” Bambam narrowed his eyes and stared at him for a moment. He then sighed and leaned back on his chair. “Well, I’m gonna choose to trust you; we’ve been friends for a long time, and I’m sure you know you can tell me everything.”

Chan was certain he could, in fact, tell Bambam anything. But he also knew that involving more people in the company was dangerous, especially because no one had seemed to have caught onto the fact that Woojin was behind all of the incidents. How would they react if it was revealed that an ex superhero from their company was the mastermind? 

Surely not very well. They would want to take matters into their hands, but Chan didn’t trust them to handle things well enough. No one knew Woojin as much as Chan did and the things he was capable of. He needed to stop Woojin himself, and the less people that knew about it, the better.

“Thanks,” Chan said with a smile. “I know I can trust you with anything, but I’m certain I can handle this one by myself.” He checked the time on his cellphone and sighed. “Well, gotta go meet the boss, before he gets angry at me for being late.”

“Okay man, take care.” Bambam stood up and opened the door for him, seeing him out.

Chan made his way to the usual meeting room so he could report on his mission. The conversation with Bambam kept him thinking. If his friend had been able to see it, then it surely wouldn’t take that much longer for others to start picking up on his behavior as well. He needed to be careful, there was too much at stake, and he wasn’t willing to risk more than that.

The room was open and empty, as expected. The television was on already, and it seemed like the video-call with the boss had started already, because the camera was showing his office, although it was empty. Chan closed the door after him and looked at the camera, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Sir?” Chan asked after a couple of minutes. There was noise out of camera and then Jinyoung appeared to sit down on his chair. “Good afternoon sir.” Chan decided it was best not to ask what all that had been, he had too many things to think about already.

“Good afternoon Nova, took you long enough.” His boss replied in a calm voice. He didn’t seem mad at all.

“My apologies, I got intercepted by one of my coworkers.” Chan explained.

“Don’t worry about it, doesn’t quite matter now.” Jinyoung cleared his throat before proceeding. “How did the mission go?” 

“It went well, sir.” Chan nodded. “The protests are happening more frequently and they keep getting rougher, but so far we have managed to keep them under control enough that no real damage has been done.”

“That is good, certainly.” Jinyoung nodded. “Some questionable articles have been posted about us, but so far we’ve managed to avoid the most dangerous bullets, so I think we’ll be safe for a longer while.” Jinyoung sat straight on his chair before continuing. “You know Chan, I have a very experienced team investigating who is behind the identity of The Eye of Providence, but we haven’t had any luck so far.

“It seems like the person behind this is quite experienced in keeping a low profile,” he continued. “That or, they just know us and the other companies too well, which is a problem. You don’t happen to know anything about this, right? Like, have you heard anything interesting during the protests?”

Chan had been looking at the floor during the whole time Jinyoung had been talking. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the questions. This was too much to be just a coincidence, since Bambam had been asking him similar questions just before, so Chan couldn’t help but suspect his boss was behind all of it. He needed to be careful.

“Not at all, sir.” Chan finally answered. “No one seems to know what their real identity is, everyone refers to them as The Eye of Providence from what I’ve heard.” 

“Makes sense, they seem very good at keeping their identity a secret.” Jinyoung nodded. “Very well, I think we’re done here then, you can go.”

Chan bid him farewell and the video call ended shortly after. He sighed. It was like the stress had solidified on his back and shoulders; he felt stiff and tired, and wanted nothing more than to sleep for days. Unfortunately for him, that was not much of an option.

He left the room after centering himself. No one else bothered him as he left the company and made his way to the apartment the company had put in his name. He rarely ever spent time there, since he was usually busy in missions or, nowadays, trying to find Woojin. It felt somewhat relieving to be home for once. Of course, the first thing he did, was call Changbin with the earpiece.

“I think they’re onto me,” he said as soon as the younger’s voice came through.

“What?” Changbin sounded taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“I think the company has started getting suspicious about me and The Eye of Providence issue.” Chan sighed. “I don’t know how, I’ve tried to keep a low profile, but it seems like I’m still attracting some attention to myself.”

“And what will you do about this hyung?” Changbin sighed as well.

“I know I just promised I would be there more, but what if I get discovered?” 

“Where are you going with this?” Changbin’s voice told him he was ready to disapprove with him.

“This is going to sound really bad but can you... substitute me?” Chan couldn’t help but laugh at Changbin’s exaggerated sigh. “Please? I just need to get them off of me, and then it’ll be back to normal.”

“God, I hate this, why did I accept to help you? I’m getting more involved than I ever planned to.” Changbin’s voice got higher as he continued to whine, and Chan couldn’t stop laughing.

“Please? I can only trust you with this,” Chan insisted.

“Fine, you idiot, I can’t believe you.” Changbin sighed, giving up.

“Thank you, I owe you one.” Chan chuckled. “Plus, we’re taking a break, I’m sure you won’t even have to do much.”

“Sure, whatever you say, I’m gonna hang up.”

“Bye!” He wasn’t even sure Changbin had heard him because the phone was already beeping at him.

Chan laid down on his bed and sprawled out, getting comfortable. He felt exhausted, more than he had ever felt before, and even if he didn’t quite want to, he ended up falling asleep after a few minutes.

* * *

Changbin took off the in-ear and put it away on one of his pants’ pockets and motioned to open the door to his apartment. As he did, he noticed the lock had been removed, and the door yielded easily under his touch. He counted silently in his head before walking in. The place was completely dark, but he had nothing to use to light his way.

“Don’t be afraid to come in, Changbin, this is your home after all.” A frighteningly familiar voice spoke from somewhere in front of him, and Changbin froze into place.

His first reaction to the lights being turned on was to cover his eyes. There was a soft chuckle and the sounds of approaching steps, until he could feel the soft breathing of the older right in front of him.

“I see you can still recognize my voice, that’s good.” Woojin said, and Changbin could almost hear the smile in his voice. “Well now friend, take a seat, we have a lot to talk about.”


	14. Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’ve burned the bridges and built many walls instead …”   
> ― Samiha Totanji
> 
> Woojin and Changbin strike a deal, and Seungmin gains new responsibilities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry! With the quarantine going on I just keep forgetting what day I’m living in and I failed to realize that it was Sunday yesterday ;A; I promise this won’t happen again!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, I personally think it has some good drama in it ;) don’t forget to leave kudos and comments if you do!

Changbin and Woojin were sitting on the kitchen table, facing each other. Woojin had brought some fried chicken for himself, and had offered a piece to Changbin, making the scene almost comical, but he had refused. It was weird how he seemed like the only stressed out about the situation; it just put him off how calm Woojin seemed to be when he was invading someone’s home. He was doing his best to keep his eyes away from Woojin’s, knowing just that much about the other’s power, but the oldest didn’t even seem to care about it.

“So,” Woojin began, putting away the fried chicken tray. “How have you been?” He rested his head on his hand, looking at Changbin.

“Why are you here?” Answered Changbin instead, trying hard to keep his cool.

“That’s not an attitude I would receive my guests with.” Woojin clicked his tongue. “Especially when they have my boyfriend at gunpoint.”

Changbin tensed up but forced himself to relax. In that situation, he couldn’t give Woojin the satisfaction of knowing he had found his weak point, although he was certain Woojin knew anyway. Changbin tried to brush it off by keeping the talk going, he needed time to figure out what Woojin wanted from him.

“Jeongin is not my boyfriend...” Changbin muttered. It was starting to get hard to keep his eyes away from Woojin.

“Oh! What a scandal!” Woojin put a hand on his face before breaking into a laugh. “With both of you sharing a bed I thought... I’m sorry for making such an assumption.”

“Don’t worry about it...” Changbin gritted his teeth.

He knew that Woojin couldn’t care less if he was dating Jeongin or not, and he thought he probably knew he wasn’t from the moment he had learnt about Jeongin’s existence. Woojin was there just to get information out of him, and he was trying to do so by pissing him off. It was starting to work.

Truth was that Changbin didn’t have the money to properly take care of Jeongin and himself. The apartment was small, even for two people, and he knew that. He had wanted to give Jeongin his own space since they had started living together, but it just wasn’t something he could afford. And he didn’t want Woojin to know that.

“Anyways, the reason I am here is pretty simple, and I am sure you have figured it our already.” Woojin continued. “I need a pair of eyes inside Chan’s team, and you’re probably the only close enough to Chan to be of any use, so I want you to do it.”

Changbin had to stop himself from raising his head in surprise. He choked on his own saliva as he did, and had to cough until he was able to breathe normally again. Woojin was looking at him with an entertained smile plastered all over his face, and Changbin didn’t even have to look up at him to know that. 

“You have to be kidding me.” The words escaped his lips before he could even try to stop them. That was how surprised he felt by the request.

“Why would I be kidding you?” Woojin frowned. “I am making a pretty reasonable request, the way I’m making it might not make much sense, but it’s a valid request. I even told you why I’m asking!”

“Why would you come to your enemy’s territory to do something like that?” Changbin was feeling beyond incredulous at this point.

“Because how else would I talk with you?” Woojin huffed. “And it’s not like I came unprepared either, someone is pointing at Jeongin with their gun right now.”

“What if I say no?” Changbin tempted.

“If you say no, I’ll shoot Jeongin-“ Woojin made finger guns with his right hand- “and then you. Chan will have lost two allies and I a powerful tool and some bait.” He shot his finger gun and then smiled.

“But even if I spy for you, how would you be able to trust what I tell you? How will you know I’m not giving information to Chan hyung anyway?”

“Oh, you can try to give information to Chan, sure thing.” Woojin brushed his concern off. “That is, if you can find anything useful. And I’ll know you’re not lying because even if you don’t look me in the eyes, I’ll have someone following Jeongin all the time, and the moment you set me a trap or lie to me, he’s dead.”

“Right, that makes sense.” No matter how much he tried, Changbin just didn’t see an exit to the situation.

“So are you in?” Woojin smiled at him.

“Do I have an option?”

“Well said!” Woojin stood up from the chair, satisfied. “Oh and, I wouldn’t tell Chan if I were you, he’s not going to take it well, and might end up being more harmful to you.”

Woojin left his apartment not long after and Changbin immediately run to his room to check on Jeongin. The youngest was peacefully asleep, unaware of everything that had happened just outside the room, and Changbin sighed in relief. He decided to take a shower and get ready to sleep, trying not to think too much of the deal he had just made with Woojin. Only time would be able to tell just how much it was going to affect them.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Chan had decided they should all take a break. Seungmin hadn’t seen Woojin ever since either, but he had been visiting Hyunjin and Felix at the hospital almost on a daily basis. He felt guilty. Woojin had warned him about getting attached, but Seungmin just couldn’t stop himself from going to see them, it felt like he owed them at least that.

Hyunjin had finally been moved to one of the normal rooms and now he could have normal visits, and as far as he knew, Felix was getting discharged the next day, so Seungmin felt like it was a pretty good time to visit. When he got to Hyunjin’s room, Felix was sitting next to the bed as well; they were talking. Both greeted Seungmin warmly and welcomed him into the conversation.

“I still can’t believe you ended in the hospital right after me,” Felix commented, smiling softly at Hyunjin’s frown.

“Right, well, be grateful that I’m in bed ‘cause I’d be whooping your disrespectful ass otherwise,” Hyunjin replied, not having any of Felix’s teasing.

Seungmin wondered if anyone had told Felix the truth about Hyunjin’s stay at the hospital. He doubted someone had, but he somehow felt like Felix already knew. It was probably a best-friend’s bond thing. Seungmin wasn’t planning to tell him either way, he didn’t want Felix to realize he was far too involved in his friend’s accident.

“How are you feeling Hyunjin?” Seungmin asked once their discussion had calmed down. The other smiled warmly at him.

“Better. I’m recovering as fast as I can so I can see if you’ll accept going on that date with me.”

“Oh ho, a date?” Felix wriggled his eyebrows, and Seungmin had to contain himself to not hit Felix, who was still recovering.

“Shut up Lix.” Hyunjin said instead, but he was grinning just as much.

“You’re both insufferable, I’m gonna get something to eat.” Seungmin left despite the protests.

He felt the need to calm down a little, to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks, so he left to take a walk around the hospital while looking for a vending machine that had anything he liked. As he did, his cellphone alerted him of a new message, and he took it out to check.

_ Meet me at your house. _

_ -W _

The number was unknown, but Seungmin needed nothing more than the signature to know who it was from. He cursed internally, and decided to get back to Hyunjin and Felix so he could at least say goodbye to them. The message had no visible meeting time, but he knew by heart that Woojin meant ‘right now’.

“You’re back? Where are the snacks?” Felix questioned upon seeing him enter the room empty handed.

“I uh... Ate them all?” Seungmin mentally slapped himself for sounding so unsure.

“Right...” Felix looked at him questioningly before looking at Hyunjin, who seemed just as confused.

“I have to go, something came up,” Seungmin said, trying to change the topic.

“Already?” Hyunjin didn’t even put effort into hiding his disappointment, which made Felix visibly gag. 

“Yes, already, I’m sorry.” Seungmin grabbed the little backpack he had brought with him and said goodbye before leaving.

It was probably strange when seen from their perspective. Seungmin had suddenly turned so serious when he had just been joking with them and had gone out for some snacks. But he couldn’t care much about the impression he was leaving at that moment, he was too scared to risk what he had. 

Seungmin hadn’t been much in his house in the last few weeks since Woojin had sent him to spy on Chan and his team. He was out all day, either doing missions for Chan or trying to gather information to report to Woojin. It didn’t feel particularly nice to be there to meet the person that had recently become his biggest fear.

When he came in, Woojin was waiting for him in the living room. Seungmin owned a considerably big apartment. His parents were wealthy and trusted him, so they didn’t mind sparing money on him, but Seungmin didn’t really like to spend it. Woojin was just sitting there, enjoying some fried chicken like he was at his own home. It would’ve been comical hadn’t Seungmin felt so tense.

“Oh, you’re finally here,” Woojin exclaimed once he saw him. “Join me, there’s still some pieces left, eat some.”

Everything Woojin said felt like an order to him. So Seungmin sat in front of the oldest and took one piece to eat it. He wasn’t particularly hungry, and felt too nervous to really digest anything, so he mostly just nibbled on it while he waited for Woojin to explain what he was doing there. When Woojin didn’t and just continued eating, Seungmin had to force himself to ask.

“What brings you here?” He tried to keep his tone polite, neutral.

“Nothing in particular, I just came by to visit you and bring you something to eat, figured you’d be hungry after going out of your way to visit Hyunjinnie and Lix.” Woojin shrugged, tossing a chicken bone inside the box. 

Seungmin knew it was a lie. Woojin never did anything without a specific purpose. Plus, Seungmin knew he was displeased about his visit to the hospital, and he couldn’t help the way his heartbeat picked up. He forced himself to swallow a few bites of chicken, trying to ignore how wrong those nicknames sounded in the other’s voice, before speaking up again.

“Thank you,” he mumbled. “And I’m sorry, you must not be very pleased about that.”

“You know me well.” Woojin winked at him and flashed him a smile before leaning back on the couch and crossing one leg over the other. When he did gestures like that, it all fell wrong. “Ah right, Seungminnie.” Seungmin had to force himself to not react to the nickname, it was more than obvious that he was being tested by Woojin.

“Yes?”

“I’m gonna need you to keep an eye on Binnie, he’s our new not so loyal teammate, and he might be needing some help with how he’s Chan’s right hand,” Woojin spoke of them like they had been friends for years, and Seungmin almost choked with the food. “Careful there, don’t try to eat too much at once.” Woojin chuckled. “But yes, you might want to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”

“Where are you going?” Was the first thing Seungmin managed to say as he watched how Woojin stood up and stretched a little bit before walking away towards the door.

“My casual visit is done, I brought you food and you seem to be digesting it well, isn’t that enough?” Woojin raised an eyebrow. 

Seungmin didn’t reply and just watched him leave his house. He hated knowing it had never been about the food, after all, Kim Woojin never did anything without reason. He spit the chicken he still had in his mouth and threw the rest in the trash.

* * *

Two weeks. Two weeks had passed since Hyunjin had been put in the hospital and the rest of them had been dismissed by Chan. Two weeks were more than enough to drive Jeongin a little bit crazy. He wanted something to do, missions. He wanted to feel like the superheroes he so much admired, but Chan had not contacted them at all since then.

So, because he was a little reckless, and had too much time in his hands, Jeongin had chosen to do the next best thing: assign himself some missions. Chan had advised them to take a break, but Jeongin thought that if he came back with his hands full of new information, he would be regarded as a more important team member. And maybe then Changbin would stop overprotecting him as well.

After all, Chan had once praised him for his powers, saying they could be pretty useful and that it was surprising he had been spying them for so long without them realizing. So he was going to do just that. Jeongin was going to use his powers to spy on Woojin’s people and gather as much information as he could. And he was confident he wasn’t going to be caught.

He didn’t have much of a lead to begin with, sadly. But he knew about the meeting rooms, so that would have to suffice until he had learnt more about the way Woojin worked. Jeongin remembered that the last mission to a meeting room had ended up being a trap, however, if he was acting by himself, there was no way the enemy could figure out what he was doing, right? He also didn’t have much money to spare, so he figured that finding something in the surrounding area would be his best shot.

Jeongin set off to investigate. Superhero companies, government buildings and broadcasting stations were the best starting points because most protests happened close to them. If there were protests, there certainly were some of Woojin’s messengers as well. 

He checked his social media on the cellphone that Changbin had worked hard to buy for him. It was old, but Jeongin took such care of it that it barely had scratches on it. Absolutely everything was there, since the media had been such an important part in feeding people’s thoughts and actions. Anytime a protest was to be done, there would be dozens of posts online inviting people to join for a greater cause, whatever that was.

A little bit of research led him to a protest in front of the SM Company headquarters. They were, without a doubt, one of the companies under the most exposure since the creation of The Eye of Providence, so it made sense. Jeongin didn’t waste his time and took a bus there. Of course, the traffic caused by the protest made his trip anything but enjoyable, but he did eventually get there.

The place was raging with people. Almost everyone was wearing face masks and holding banners with phrases printed on them. They were all standing close together, shouting in unison about demanding the truth. Jeongin couldn’t help the shivers that went down his spine as he regretted not having something to cover his face with, since he didn’t want to claim anyone’s attention.

Trying to disguise himself as best as possible, he stood among the people protesting and focused on connecting with the doves flying around the place until some of them finally returned the signals he was sending. He asked them to disperse and lend him their senses to listen in on others’ conversations. They complied.

His ability had two modes, as he liked to describe them. One implied forming a sort of temporary bond with a living creature, like a tree or animal, and using their abilities and energy while still on his form. It didn’t allow him such a broad use as the other mode, but it was useful when he was in a rush or in a dangerous situation.

The other was like ‘leaving’ his body to occupy that of another living being, and using their bodies to do something he normally wouldn’t be able to do by himself. That was what he was doing at that moment. It was certainly more dangerous, because his real body was left unprotected when he did so, but he trusted that disguising himself among the protesters would keep him safe.

Jeongin changed between the different doves several times, focusing on different parts of the crowd as he tried to find information. A couple of people eventually caught his interest when he heard the name ‘Eye of Providence’ thrown into the conversation. He flew around them, trying to catch as much of the conversation as possible, until they eventually mentioned the change of location of one of the meeting rooms to a little restaurant-bar in Hongdae.

That was so far from being ideal that Jeongin started to second-guess himself, thinking that maybe he should try to find the location of another meeting room. However, he had already wasted a lot of time just to find that one lead, so he would have to take it. When his consciousness returned to his body, it felt like getting out of the water, and he had to control himself from reacting too much and drawing attention to him.

Another bus ride later, Jeongin found himself in the heart of Hongdae. It was usually a busy city during the night, but even during the day there were a lot of people on the streets having fun. It took him some time to find the place. It was a tiny one story building that looked old, but Jeongin guessed it was on purpose, because even at that time of the day there were people filling in to enjoy a cheap chicken and beer deal.

Jeongin made his way to the side of the restaurant. There was a small alleyway with a door that probably led to the kitchen, and the place reeked of trash and food. It was quite unpleasant. He did his best to ignore the condition of the alleyway as he made his way through it, trying to find something that hinted at some sort of basement, because there was no way they were keeping the laptop in plain view. 

“Found it!” He exclaim-whispered to himself once he spotted a little window that opened to a dark room.

The crystal wasn’t completely closed, and he could see dim light coming from the window, so he only had to find an animal small enough that could fit through the holes. He focused on sounding the area until he received a response in the form of a small cat that joined him from the dumpsters. The cat looked horrid, Jeongin had to admit, but it was interested in him and more than willing to help him out. It was also sickly thin, so he was sure it would fit through the bars.

Jeongin relaxed and occupied its body, making his way through the tiny window he had opened previously. There were several shelves lined along the wall that made the descent easy and fast. The room was empty, so Jeongin took to exploring and gathering as much information as he could. Like in the other rooms the team had visited, this one had a simple set up of a table with a laptop on it and a chair in front for the visitor to sit on, nothing particularly different.

The door opened to his side and Jeongin had the decency to go hide under one of the shelves. A person came in and closed the door after them, leaving the room in the dark once again; they sat on the chair in front of the laptop and made a few clicks. Jeongin assumed they were starting a video call with Woojin himself, and he prepared to listen. But before he could hear anything at all, he felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown at him as someone shook his body and broke his connection with the cat.

“Who the heck are you and why are you standing outside of my restaurant like this?” An old man screamed at him, he seemed furious.

Jeongin tried to explain himself, but the man wouldn’t stop yelling and cursing at him, chasing him away from the alleyway. He managed to see the cat crawl out of the window and look at him as Jeongin ran away from the man, who was threatening to call the police if he saw him again near the restaurant. Jeongin had lost his chance.

Resigned, he walked away from the restaurant and stumbled upon one of the benches that decorated the streets of Hongdae. He was so busy murmuring insults to himself and the restaurant owner that he didn’t even notice the other man sitting on the bench as he plopped all his weight down on it. Jeongin let out a groan and ruffled his own hair, letting out all the air in his lungs with a loud huff.

“It’s difficult isn’t it?” The man sitting to his right talked, making him jump on his place and letting out a little scream. The man chuckled. “My apologies, I thought you had seen me here.”

“No, I’m sorry for reacting like that,” Jeongin mumbled, feeling a strong blush creep up his neck.

“It’s alright.” The man shrugged, taking off the sunglasses and facing Jeongin with a smile.

“What did you mean by ‘it’s difficult’?” Jeongin decided to ask, quite intrigued by the person sitting next to him.

“Well, you seem pretty frustrated, and the way you let yourself fall on the bench must have hurt, no one in their right mind would just fall like that,” the man explained, a playful grin on his lips. “Something must have gone wrong for you to be acting like that, I assume.” Jeongin looked at him in surprise for a few seconds before he slouched down, sighing heavily.

“Yeah, you’re right on that. ‘Jeongin nodded. “It’s just... Ah, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t bother you with my issues.”

“It’s quite alright, I invited you to do it first. Besides, I read once that secrets and worries weight less when told to strangers, might be the reason people see therapists.” The man shrugged. Jeongin was still a little reluctant, but there was so much in his chest that ached to get out, that he thought it was worth a shot.

“Well, I am helping this friend, you see? He has something very important he needs to do, and he asked for my help in the first place.” Jeongin did his best to mask the information as much as he possible. He couldn’t reveal to others he was working for Nova. “But I feel like I’m not doing much? Or more like, I’m not doing anything to be of help. And it’s frustrating, because I want to be useful.”

“It sounds like this friend is important to you,” the man commented with a nod, like he understood where Jeongin was going.

“Yeah, I admire him a lot, he’s amazing.” Jeongin’s face illuminated when talking about Chan. “But I feel like he doesn’t value me as much as he said. He won’t let me do anything truly useful to help him, like the others do.”

“I can understand why that would be frustrating.”

“Yes! And to top it off, I think it’s cause my best friend is telling him not to put any heavy loads on me, or something, like I can’t take it!” Jeongin’s voice was starting to get higher as he spoke. “I know I’m younger than them, the youngest out of all, but they’re not that much older, I don’t get why they’re babying me.”

“You must be very precious to them,” the man replied in a calm tone, still looking straight at Jeongin, who met eyes with him after that comment, looking slightly embarrassed.

“You think so?” Jeongin mumbled, the man nodded.

“Absolutely! But something must have happened that triggered this anger just now?”

“Ah, yes... We’re kind of taking a break because of something that happened, so I decided I would try to do some progress by myself, but it didn’t work out...” Jeongin sighed. “Maybe they’re right in keeping me in line, I even failed when doing it by myself.”

“Well, in my opinion-“ the man straightened up, “I don’t think that’s the case. We all make mistakes. I think it’s good you tried to do something for them, if it didn’t work it was likely because you didn’t have the right guidance, or a team to support you.” He smiled. “I am certain that, if you go to them and ask them to be let in more into the project, they’ll let you.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’re your own person, in the end, they should respect your wishes.”

Jeongin thought about this for a second, going over his conversations with Chan and Changbin from before. Chan had certainly looked willing to let him into the more dangerous missions, so he was certain all the precaution came from Changbin’s side. Maybe if he asked Chan in private, he could convince his best friend to be more permissive and let him participate more. Jeongin smiled.

“I think I’ll try that, thank you uh...” Jeongin hesitated. “I’m sorry, but what is your name? I forgot to ask you.”

“Oh, my name?” The man seemed to hesitate for a moment, sheepish. “My name is Lee Minhyuk, but you can call me hyung if you want.”

“Okay, thanks hyung! I’m Yang Jeongin,” he said as he stood up with renovated spirits. “I think I’ll go do what you told me! See you!”

The man waved goodbye as Jeongin left, a smile plastered on his face.

* * *

“Hey Chan!” Bambam exclaimed from the end of the corridor, managing to catch Chan’s attention and stop him from walking away.

“What’s up?” Chan asked once the other was close enough.

“Wanna go out for some drinks? We haven’t done that in a while.” Bambam was smiling brightly at him, and Chan couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in suspicion.

“What are you trying to get from me?” He asked, and Bambam looked at him offended.

“I just want to go out to drink with my best friend!” He complained, grabbing Chan’s arm and shaking him around.

“I though Yugyeom was your best friend.” Chan deadpanned, not giving up easily.

“Touché, but you’re my second best friend?” Bambam insisted, a playful smile on his face. Chan sighed.

“Fair enough, but you’re inviting the first round.”

“Deal.”

They left the building together, chatting about their most recent missions as they did, not that talking about work right after leaving it was ideal. They ended up hitting a barbecue restaurant and getting dinner together with their drinks. The place was bustling with life even if it wasn’t full to the brim, but it felt calming to have the background noise of a busy restaurant. It felt normal.

“Man, we really haven’t eaten together in a while.” Bambam pointed out, taking a sip from his beer glass.

“You’re right, days just keep getting busier as this whole issue with The Eye of Providence progresses.” Chan sighed, taking a sip himself. Bambam looked at him like he was dying to say something.

“Let’s not talk about work...” Bambam declared in the end, swallowing his words. “How have you been? You haven’t been getting much free time anymore. Did the thing with Changbin go well?”

“Ugh...” Chan grumbled as he reminisced about his first meeting with Changbin. “I’m pretty sure he hates me. I mean, he’s starting to warm up to me again, but I’m certain he hates me.”

“Understandable, I wouldn’t like someone from my past coming to look for me.” Bambam chuckled.

“He has this kid now under his protection, you know? He’s pretty cute, has a big sense of justice.” Chan smiled as he thought of Jeongin. “He’s not that much younger but there’s an air of innocence to him, it feels like he still lacks maturity.”

“Please don’t go after innocent people Chan.” Bambam mocked him, barely avoiding a napkin that was thrown his way.

“Don’t be disgusting, it’s not like that, and you know it.” Chan huffed, rightfully offended. “Besides, Changbin would rip me in half with his own two hands if I even thought about Innie in that way.”

“That he would.” Bambam nodded. “Have you met anyone interesting though?” He continued to tease, wiggling his eyebrows.

“With what time?” Chan raised one eyebrow, laughing at Bambam’s defeated expression.

“That’s what I mean bro, you should take some time off, meet someone.”

“No can do, I’m married to my work.” Chan shrugged, downing the rest of his glass before ordering another.

“Easy.” Bambam chuckled.

“How are things between you and Yugyeom?” Chan asked right when Bambam was drinking from his glass, successfully causing him to choke on his drink.

Chan laughed his heart away as Bambam coughed and wiped off the beer that was trickling from his chin to his chest, exclaiming how ‘not cool’ that had been. Yugyeom was another super, quite the new addition to JYP. He had just made his debut as a superhero, but Chan and Bambam had known him for a very long while. Yugyeom’s problem was that, what he had in skills and powers, he lacked in self-restraint; he was too passionate and their boss hadn’t wanted to let him out just yet.

“There is nothing between Yugyeom and me.” Bambam deadpanned, but the red color on his ears betrayed him.

“Just like how I’m not overworking myself.” Chan chuckled, enjoying far too much being the one to tease Bambam.

“It’s nothing serious,” Bambam mumbled, downing the rest of his drink. “We don’t have much time for that right now.”

“You do, you’re just scared.” Chan said carelessly, and it immediately pressed a bad button on Bambam.

“You have no right to say that, Bang Chan, Mr. It’s-been-a-year-but-I-can’t-get-over-him.” The words rushed out of Bambam’s mouth before he could catch himself. He looked immediately apologetic. Chan just gave him a blank look.

“That’s a bit of a long name.” Chan deadpanned.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, you’re right.” Chan shook his head, sighing. “I shouldn’t have teased you about Yugyeom, I know you’re serious about it.”

They went silent. Bambam and him had gone a long way. He had been there before Changbin, even before Woojin. He had been there when Chan and Woojin had first been named heroes up until when Woojin left. But at that moment, it was like there was a wall between them, a wall Chan had put up. He wished he could tell him.

“Are you still waiting?” Bambam muttered, almost like he didn’t really want to ask the question.

“What do you mean?” Chan asked, wanting to hear the answer.

“You know what I mean.” Bambam clicked his tongue. “Are you still waiting for Woojin?”

Chan thought about the threats, about the messages he had received from Woojin through other people. His thoughts wandered back to the time when Woojin had abandoned him in a mission, to all the red that had tainted his suit. He remembered that final conversation he had had with Woojin, the way the other had known his answer to the invitation way before Chan had said it out-loud, because Woojin knew him better than anyone else, even without his powers.

“No.” Chan downed another glass. “Not anymore.”


	15. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I get up and pace the room, as if I can leave my guilt behind me. But it tracks me as I walk, an ugly shadow made by myself.”  
> ― Rosamund Lupton, Sister
> 
> Chan and Jisung bond, Jeongin meets with Minhyuk and Seungmin receives a new order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn’t feel like updating today. I’m not feeling great and I’m only updating because this is the last bit of a routine I have left and because I promised to you I would. I’m sorry if this chapter isn’t great, but I still hope you enjoy it!

The city was starting to get used to the constant buzz of the protests. The law and the way society worked were being put into question; no one really knew what to think anymore. Some people were strong believers that supers and humans should have never mixed and lived together, while a very small opposing group tried to defend the ideal of living together, in peace.

Amidst this chaos, there was a minority using it to commit some other crimes in secret. Robberies, kidnappings, even some murders weren’t making the news anymore as the South Korean society collapsed on itself little by little. Chan had heard that the situation had even made it to international news outlets and that similar discussions were starting to happen all over the world.

And yet, no one had managed to find leads towards the orchestrator of such revolution, except for him. It was starting to get difficult to know who to trust. He had seen secret information about JYP in The Eye of Providence, and even the company didn’t seem like a safe place anymore. Lies and truth had combined in unpredictable ways, and the only thing Chan knew for certain was that he needed to defeat Woojin so things had a chance to go back to normal.

Even so, Chan was caught solving petty crimes due to the company’s orders. Due to the increase in crime, the Department of National Security had asked every single company that still stood to deploy all their heroes and keep them alert in case any sort of crime came about. They had established a direct communication line with the police and had sent them to cover as much area as possible.

“This is an emergency call from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, there is a heist being carried by supers in a bank, we require assistance. Over.” A female voice spoke through the radio; it sounded like she was in a hurry.

“Nova reporting, I’ll go, would you mind sending over the coordinates? Over.” Chan started the car’s engine and inputted the coordinates in his GPS as soon as they arrived.

“The coordinates have been sent, over.” 

“Roger that, I’m on my way.” Chan pressed the accelerator when the GPS showed him the fastest route and started driving, there was no time to lose. “Nova out.”

He drove so fast it took him less than ten minutes to arrive to the scene of the crime. There were a few police cars outside of the bank, and there was one man carrying a megaphone and negotiating with the criminals. Chan pulled over a few streets away and returned running, joining the police outside of the building.

“What’s the situation?” He asked the chief of the district.

“These people are getting braver by the day, trying to steal from a bank right before lunch time,” the man complained, he certainly wasn’t very pleased. “You should contain the rest of your kind better, if not all of you can be helpful, then what’s the point?” 

Chan forced himself to smile despite the comment. He exchanged some more information with the rest of the officers and decided to make his way into the building. He walked to the back and forced open the employees entry, which wasn’t entirely a good idea, because it set off an alarm that put everyone on edge. Chan heard screaming from the front of the store and one gunshot. The situation wasn’t good.

He rushed to the front of the bank and encountered one of the assailants in his way. The man pointed him with a gun, but Chan was faster. He shot the gun away, kicked the man on the stomach and then grabbed him by the hair to slam his face against his knee, knocking him unconscious. Chan took the gun with him and continued running forward.

Light escaped his body and formed a barrier in front of him as he entered the main part of the building, knowing well he had alerted the criminals of his presence. As soon as he made it, the three of them started shooting at him, making all of the hostages scream and panic. Chan took advantage of the protection and checked how many people were in the site. The bullets prevented him from seeing very well, but he managed to count up to ten people.

Surprisingly, one of them was a known face. Jisung waved awkwardly from the ground, having recognized Chan from his power. He sighed and signed towards the weapon of the robbers. Then, he lifted three fingers, and put them down one by one as a regressive count. When the last finger was out, he focused all of the energy in the center of his body and blasted it out in a contained explosion that took the men by surprise.

The explosion launched them a few feet away in all sorts of directions. Jisung used that moment to get up and collect all of the guns in the blink of an eye, standing next to Chan once he had done so. Well, that was one thing. Now the problem was that all of them were supers.

“Leave the weapons outside, we don’t want them getting them again.” Chan instructed.

Right then, a piece of concrete struck him right in the face, sending him to the ground. As he stood up, he realized Jisung was no longer next to him which was a good thing. One of the men was standing in front, enormous pieces of concrete from the building floating around him, just great. Chan managed to stop the first two with a shield of light, but the third one managed to break through, albeit smaller, and crash into his chest.

Another one of the criminals started standing up just as Jisung returned from his little trip, and Chan quickly gestured to the other hostages, who had all crawled as far as physically possible from the fight. Jisung understood without words, and started carrying people, one by one, out of the building as fast as he could. 

Chan went for another approach and started making the boulders explode in the air, causing debris to go everywhere and hit his targets a couple of times, but the man kept making more and launched them towards him. When Jisung was done carrying people out, he returned and grabbed one of the concrete boulders, hitting it against the head of the assailant at inhuman speed and leaving him unconscious.

“That was a good one,” Chan complimented him, out of breath. 

He didn’t have much time to think when a ball of ice hit him straight on the shoulder and sent him crashing down to the floor. Jisung avoided another ball and ran towards him, helping him up. Chan pushed him away just in time to avoid another projectile, and shot rays of pure light at the man, who reflected them with the shiny surface of an ice shield he had just built.

“Go to my car, through the employees’ entrance, and get some handcuffs, it’s a few streets over from him.” Chan ordered. “I’ll be over with him in a second.” He said before running towards the shield.

All of his energy focused on his arms and came out in an explosion as he crashed against the shield, turning it into a thousand shards that cut both of them. Chan was close enough now that the projectiles wouldn’t be effective, so they fought with their fists. He blocked a punch from the right and hit him in the stomach. Then, he grabbed him by the shoulders and connected his knee with his abdomen in rapid succession, before hitting him with his elbow on the back of the head and knocking him unconscious.

Jisung came back shortly after, and helped him handcuff everyone so that police wouldn’t have trouble with them. Then, Chan grabbed Jisung by the arm and ran with him to the car, driving away as soon as the engine was on. He couldn’t risk Jisung being seen with him by anyone, especially the media. The police would have to understand.

“This is what you do for a living?” Jisung asked as he drove.

“Pretty much,” Chan nodded. “Why? Disappointed?”

“Not at all! That was amazing hyung, you basically took care of them by yourself.” Jisung was sitting turned on his side, so he could look directly at Chan. The oldest couldn’t help but smile.

“You were pretty amazing yourself, disarming everyone and helping take care of the hostages.” Chan turned briefly just to see how Jisung’s smile grew wider. He felt the small urge to give the youngest a hug. “You even knocked out one of those guys.”

“I was glad to be of help.” Jisung’s smile couldn’t get any bigger even if he tried.

“This is an emergency call from Seoul’s Metropolitan Police Agency, we need backup in the Seoul Station for a case of a hostage situation, over.” The radio interrupted them, and Chan looked over at Jisung.

“What do you say? Want to go?” Chan asked him with a smile, and Jisung beamed with happiness.

“Of course!”

“This is Nova reporting, I’m heading towards the location. Out.”

* * *

“I’m visiting patient Hwang Hyunjin,” Jeongin told the nurse sitting on the information desk. 

She quickly checked on the database and gave Jeongin a visitor’s pass before sending him on his way. Jeongin had been visiting Hyunjin at the hospital as much as he could since he was admitted, just like he had done with Felix. It was easy to see that the older hated the hospital with a passion, but without a super’s help, it was difficult to heal quickly from wounds inflicted by another super. He would have to hold on.

Jeongin liked to sneak in snacks from the vending machines around the hospital. Hyunjin wasn’t allowed to eat them, but the youngest had seen the hospital food once and had decided it was inhuman to feed someone that. He had taken it as a personal mission to buy snacks and feed them secretly to his friend, who was more than grateful to him.

As he put in the coins in the machine closest to Hyunjin’s room, he spotted Seungmin walking down the aisle. His face was stuck in a serious rictus as he checked his phone, but Jeongin still tried to get his attention. He succeeded, and Seungmin turned to look at him and greet him with a small smile.

“Innie, what are you doing here?” Seungmin asked, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“I’m here to poison Hyunjin hyung with unhealthy snacks.” Both of them laughed as Jeongin retrieved his snacks. “Were you visiting him hyung?”

“Yeah,” Seungmin nodded. “But something came up so I have to leave now, take care of him okay?”

“Of course! I think I’m the most reliable member in this team.” Jeongin joked, earning himself a playful ruffle of his hair.

They bid their goodbyes and parted ways. Jeongin walked the rest of the way to Hyunjin’s room and hid the snacks under the other’s bedsheets as soon as he was sitting next to his bed. He opened one of the snacks he had gotten, a bag of chips, and began to alternate between eating one himself and feeding one to Hyunjin as they talked.

Before he even realized it, visit time was over and a nurse told him he had to leave. It was a shame, but he promised Hyunjin he would see him again as soon as possible, maybe even tomorrow. Jeongin was careful to retrieve all of the trash from their snacks and hide it in his pockets before leaving, he couldn’t be getting Hyunjin in trouble with the nurses if he wanted to be able to visit him in peace.

His plans for the day were simple: he was going to try obtaining information from the Hongdae meeting room once again. This time he knew the area better and knew what to expect from the people that worked there, he just needed to be more discreet. So he took the bus and then walked all the way there. Now that he knew where it was located, it wasn’t even hard to find the restaurant. The important part was to not get caught.

As he made his way to the restaurant, he noticed one of the employees was posted outside taking a smoke. Approaching didn’t seem like a good idea at all. He retreated to a nice shaded spot to wait, when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. Jeongin turned, ready to be called out for looking suspicious, when he discovered it was none other than Minhyuk, who was smiling at him.

“Hyung!” Jeongin exclaimed, immediately wrapping the other in a hug.

“Meet you again Jeongin, what are you doing around here?” Minhyuk raised an eyebrow. Jeongin blushed and looked away, stammering. “Don’t tell me, running another errand for your friends?” He chuckled. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me about it.”

“Sorry about that.” Jeongin smiled. “What are you doing around here hyung?”

“I was actually hoping to meet you,” Minhyuk confessed, laughing at Jeongin’s surprised look. “I usually eat around here. That restaurant over there-“ he pointed at the restaurant Jeongin had been trying to spy on- “serves some killer fried chicken, but I don’t like to eat alone. I was hoping you would join me? It’d be my treat.”

Jeongin looked at the restaurant and nodded enthusiastically, maybe he would be able to find some sort of creature inside that could report him about the meeting room. It would be difficult if he had Minhyuk’s attention on him, but it was worth trying.

“Sure hyung! Thanks for treating me.” Jeongin smiled and followed him into the restaurant.

They took a table close to the back of the room. A young waitress arrived quickly to take their orders, and Minhyuk ordered the usual for both of them, just changing the glass of beer for some coke. Jeongin looked around with curiosity. He had never been to the restaurant before even if he had tried to spy into it once, but it was pretty nice from the inside, and the food smelled delicious as well.

“Have you been here before?” Minhyuk asked him, distracting Jeongin from his thoughts.

“Not really.” The youngest chuckled nervously, thinking of another topic to talk about. “Do you usually eat alone?”

“Yeah, but I don’t like it much.” Minhyuk shrugged. “However life is busy and I can’t have someone besides me all the time.”

“Why don’t you eat with your coworkers? Surely there must be someone willing to eat with you?” Jeongin continued to prod carelessly, for a moment forgetting he barely knew Minhyuk.

“Ah.” Minhyuk frowned a bit. “Well, I’m more of a work-from-home guy, so I don’t really have coworkers to eat with.”

“Oh...” Jeongin nodded. “So you’re like Minho hyung, you even look his age.”

“Minho?” Minhyuk raised an eyebrow.

“He’s a friend of mine, super cool. But he gets sick easily so he has to work from home.” Jeongin hummed. “I never thought about the downside of working by yourself.”

The waitress brought their food and drinks and they dug in immediately. Jeongin couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, the chicken was indeed really good. Minhyuk laughed at his reaction and nodded in agreement, no words were good enough to describe the face Jeongin was pulling at that moment. It was like he had never eaten anything better.

They talked about each other while eating, sharing a bit about their lives and in general getting to know each other better. Before they had even realized it, the food was gone and the glasses had been emptied. Minhyuk paid just like he had promised, and they left the restaurant to take a walk. Jeongin liked him, he was nice and calm.

“Hyung, do you have anything to do after this?” Jeongin asked after a while of walking.

“Not really.” Minhyuk hummed. “Work is not particularly busy today. Why?”

“Great, then... Do you want to come with me? I think you’re pretty cool and I have a feeling my hyung would like you.”

“Uh, you mean to your house?” Minhyuk asked, eyes wide.

“Yep!” Jeongin nodded.

“Okay, sure, I don’t see why not.” 

Minhyuk offered to drive them there and Jeongin accepted, excited because he didn’t get to ride cars often. The trip was way shorter than he was used to by car, and he let Minhyuk know just how surprised he was about how cars could make your life way easier. The oldest just laughed along, agreeing with him.

Jeongin couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed once they arrived to the apartment he shared with Changbin. The place didn’t look great, and that was an understatement. But Minhyuk didn’t seem to mind and that gave him some confidence to show him around. When they actually got to the door, Jeongin opened for him and invited him inside. 

He stormed to his room, with the promise of returning with money so they could buy snacks, completely missing Changbin, who was standing in the little hallway with terror written on his face. Minhyuk waited for Jeongin at the entrance, who returned just a couple of minutes after with a little pouch in his hands. He noticed Minhyuk was looking at something and turned around just to find Changbin standing there.

“Oh hyung, you’re here! I thought you’d be at work.” Jeongin greeted, soon realizing the expression on Changbin’s face. “Is something wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“Why is he here?” Changbin’s voice was ice cold. Tension was seeping from him from his tense shoulders and death glare.

“What do you mean?” Jeongin frowned, looking back at Minhyuk who looked just as confused. “This is Lee Minhyuk, a friend I met a few days ago! Minhyuk, this is Changbin hyung, he’s sort of like a brother to me.”

“Nice to meet you!” Minhyuk approached Changbin and held a hand out. Changbin looked like he was about to murder him, but accepted the greeting anyway. Minhyuk smiled widely.

“We’re going out to get some snacks, and then we’ll be back, is there anything you want?” Jeongin asked, pulling Minhyuk along.

“No Innie, thanks.” Changbin replied, his eyes fixed on the hand that Jeongin was using to pull on Minhyuk. “Just don’t take too long.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” Minhyuk answered instead, with a playful grin, before following Jeongin out of the apartment.

* * *

Woojin was looking at his phone when Seungmin arrived. He glanced up and welcomed the other with a smile, asking him to just take a sit in front of his desk. He felt Seungmin staring at him in confusion, since he never asked him to sit down in their meetings, but complied nonetheless. Woojin tapped away on his phone for a moment, before putting face down on his table.

“So,” Woojin began, expecting Seungmin to go from there.

“Uhm,” Seungmin hesitated. “Yes?”

“Nothing new to report?” Woojin raised an eyebrow.

“I’m afraid not, sir. Chan hyung has not given signs of returning with the team, and Changbin hyung hasn’t given any directions either,” Seungmin explained, wondering why he had been summoned to begin with.

“Oh so you call them ‘hyungs’ now?” Woojin smiled when Seungmin sank on his chair.

“I am very sorry sir, it’s the habit.” Seungmin rushed to say, the words stammering out of his mouth. Woojin laughed.

“You have no reason to look so scared! I was just teasing you.” Woojin shook his head. “In any case, I know that nothing is up. It’s not why I called you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, so-“ Woojin sat outright- “I’ve been looking over one of your little friends, Jeongin-”

“What do you mean looking over him?” The words came out of his mouth before he could even process what he was saying. Questioning Woojin was never a good idea. He had the decency to look extremely apologetic about it, but Woojin seemed more than entertained by his reaction.

“Yes, observing him.” The oldest chuckled. “He’s a very nice young man, I can understand why they don’t want to put him at risk during missions. In any case, he doesn’t know about it, yet.”

“What do you mean?” Seungmin narrowed his eyes, feeling suspicious.

“I’m planning to... take him for a trip. Not very orthodox but-“ Woojin sighed- “I don’t think there’s another way I can get him to listen to me once I talk to him about Chan.”

“You’re going to kidnap him? Are you going to do the same thing to him than you did with Hyunjin?” The color drained from Seungmin’s face as he asked this.

“Yes! I actually have even more expectations in him, since no one has seen his full potential yet. I’m excited!” Woojin cheered, before settling down with a smile. “Although, you don’t look too content about it? Is there something wrong?”

“No, sir.” Seungmin gulped. “But why are you telling me this?”

“Ah, I just want you to keep an eye on Changbinnie, in case he misbehaves.” Woojin disregarded the issue with a gesture of his hand. “You know how much he adores the child. Are we clear?” Seungmin’s heart sank on his chest as he nodded, thinking on Jeongin, whom he had just met earlier that day at the hospital.

“Yes, sir.”


	16. Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Though the funny thing about never being asked for anything is that after a while you start to feel like maybe you don’t have anything worth giving.”   
> ― Lev Grossman, The Magician King
> 
> Jeongin realizes his true value.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to get more complicated in the story :)) I’m personally really curious, what do you all think of Woojin and Chan? Do you agree with either of them? Let me know, and don’t forget to leave kudos and comments <3 it helps me to keep going

One month had passed since Chan had asked for a break when Changbin received a mail from him saying they should all reunite at Minho’s house to discuss what they were going to do next. Changbin had not been expecting that mail, but he figured enough time had passed for things to cool down. Not that the situation in the country had gotten better at all.

However, as he read the email over and over again, he couldn’t help but hate it. He remembered Woojin’s visit in the middle of the night so well, and he felt fear. Changbin didn’t want to alert him about the meeting they were going to have, but Woojin had promised to kill Jeongin if he didn’t do his job.

“Goddammit...” He sighed, messing his hair with his hands. “I should have never agreed to helping Chan...”

He got up and stuffed his keys and bus card on his pockets before leaving the apartment. The problem with not using a cellphone was that he couldn’t easily contact others when he needed to. So he couldn’t be traced by others, but he also had to go out of his way to one of Woojin’s meeting rooms to talk to him, and it was a very bothersome thing to do.

Still, he got into the first bus he saw that would take him to his workplace and started his little trip. He knew for sure there was one of the meeting rooms planted close to where he worked because he had heard the rumors spreading like a wildfire. Of course, he had told no one about that place, keeping it a secret. And now that he was in need of using one, he was glad he had.

When he got off, Changbin made his way to a little convenience store that was a couple of streets away from his workplace. He walked in, picked a couple of snacks to buy, and walked over to the register. As the man put the products in a bag, Changbin took out a couple of wrinkled bills and handed them over.

“Lies can shine just as bright, but they are not made of stars.” He told the guy as he handed the money. 

The cashier gave him an understanding look and inputted something in the computer that turned the cameras off. He nodded towards the employees only room and Changbin thanked him before taking his stuff and walking into the room. It was dimly lit, and had a couple of lockers to the side. But the only thing of importance was at the center: a small laptop positioned on top of a table with a chair in front of it.

Changbin sat down and opened the messaging program, immediately asking for a video call with the only contact available, Woojin. It took a few seconds for the screen to load, but once it did, it started to beep. When Woojin took the call, it stopped beeping and charged a screen that showed Woojin’s camera with Changbin’s on the inferior right corner. Woojin waved at him happily, like they were friends who hadn’t talked in a long time. Changbin started to regret his decision.

“Never thought you would actually call me!” Woojin exclaimed. “I thought I would have to go find you every time.”

“That makes two of us,” Changbin grumbled, clearly not content with what he was doing.

“So, what is Chan doing?” Woojin smiled, resting his chin on his hands. He looked like he was waiting for some very hot gossip.

“What makes you think I come here for something Chan-related?” Changbin couldn’t help but feel defensive as soon as the name was mentioned, although there was no fooling Woojin.

“Well, why would you contact me otherwise? You hate my guts.”Woojin chuckled.

“Touché.” Changbin nodded.

“So, what are you going to report?” Woojin insisted, the tapping of his fingers against his cheeks told Changbin he was starting to get impatient.

Even so, he hesitated. It didn’t feel right to be sitting there, in a meeting room that others used to report stuff like this all the time to Woojin. What if he just left? Sure, Woojin knew were he lived and could find him anytime, but Changbin was certain he would at least have some time to let the others know about his schemes. He could still turn around and leave.

“So, did you like the surprise I gave you the other day?” Except Woojin was having none of it.

“What... What surprise?” Changbin stammered, taken aback.

“Lee Minhyuk.” Woojin smiled at him. Those words were enough to make Changbin feel like his world had just fallen apart. Changbin looked down on the table and sighed.

“Chan hyung has decided we must reunite again, the meeting will be this evening on Lee Minho’s house; we’re probably going to decide what to do from now on there.” Changbin explained, not even one looking at him.

“Good boy,” Woojin said with satisfaction, chuckling. “See, it wasn’t too difficult, right?”

“I swear to god if something happens to Jeongin I will-“

“You will kill me, yes, I know that.” Woojin dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Typical threat, not very impactful. You should work on that.” Changbin gritted his teeth, wanting very well to punch a hole through the laptop. “I think you should be more careful with Chan though.”

“What do you mean?” Changbin’s anger faltered, confused by the words.

“Goodbye! Thanks for your cooperation!” Woojin waved at him, ending the video call without giving anymore explanations. Changbin yelled at him to wait, but he was gone.

The room became silent when the call ended. Changbin was left there, at the edge of his seat, trying to decipher what those words had meant. A sudden anger surged through him, and before he could realize what he was doing, he grabbed the laptop and threw it at the wall, causing one side of the screen to unhinge from its place. He screamed, hitting the table with his fists, before calming down again.

Changbin was angry at himself for betraying the rest, because he had put his selfish wishes before them. He was angry at Woojin, who had found his weakness and used it against him. And he was angry at Chan, who had disturbed his life and roped him and Jeongin into this mess like it had been nothing. But now, there was nothing he could do to fix his mistake, so he left to his work, hoping that nothing would happen at the meeting.

* * *

Third time’s the charm. Or, at the very least, Jeongin was trying very hard to convince himself that was true. He had already tried to spy into the Hongdae meeting room two times before. The first time, he had been caught, and the second one he had completely forgotten about it because he had had too much fun with Minhyuk. This time he was determined to get things done. 

Just like before, he went to the alleyway, but this time he hid himself among the trash bins so that if someone came out, he had less chances of being found. Jeongin closed his eyes and focused on contacting some sort of animal, and he found the familiar presence of the cat that had helped him before. He coaxed it once again, and the cat agreed without complaints.

Transferring his mind was easy, and soon he found himself staring at the world from a completely different angle. Fortunately, the window was already open, so he made his way in and went down the shelves until he was well hidden from the sight of any other person. Now, he just had to wait.

It took a while, maybe thirty minutes, but eventually someone walked in and sat in front of the table. Jeongin tensed and pricked up his ears, this was his opportunity to listen in to the conversation. The person started the video call. Jeongin noticed by the voice that it was most likely a man, and couldn’t help but wonder just how many people tried to contact Woojin in a daily basis. Just when he was thinking the call wasn’t going to be answered, Woojin picked up.

“Hello sir, Im Taeho reporting.” The man said. Jeongin felt curiosity about how Woojin looked like, but managed to keep himself in place. “Everything is in position, like you ordered.”

“Very well,” Jeongin tensed up, he recognized that voice from somewhere, but he couldn’t exactly point who it belonged to. “Get him.”

Just as the idea began to form in his head, he was violently pulled away from the cat’s body by a bag being pulled over his head. He started thrashing around, feeling like he was suffocating. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy, and he tried with all his might to pull away the bag or the hands that were holding it in place, but he couldn’t. Eventually, the lack of air and the effort he was doing into trying to escape caused him to faint, leaving him unarmed.

When he woke up, he did so with a start, kicking around like he was still fighting something. He settled down when he realized he couldn’t move, and a quick look revealed his arms were firmly tied to a very heavy chair that hadn’t even budged during his trashing. Jeongin panted, willing his eyes to focus until he was finally able to make out the components of the room he was in.

It seemed to be some sort of office. The walls were lined up with shelves upon shelves stacked up with books; there were so many that Jeongin doubted the owner had actually read them all, no one had that much free time. In front of him, centered to the wall, there was a wooden desk with an empty wheeled chair behind it. That was pretty much it.

He looked at himself. There were no apparent injuries, and aside from his head and tied arms, nothing hurt. He tried to remember what had happened before he had been captured, but willing the memories to play in his head made him dizzy and worsened his headache, so he gave up.

A few minutes happened before the door opened and someone came in. Jeongin looked up from where he had been analyzing the ropes that were tying his arms down, and gasped in surprise. Minhyuk had just walked in, dressed in a casual shirt and some semi-formal black pants. He had his hair combed backwards, and had a look on his face that Jeongin had never seen on him before.

“Hyung!” Jeongin battled against the bonds. “Hyung! Help me get out of here.” Minhyuk walked towards the desk instead and leaned back on it. “What are you doing?!”

“You don’t get it, right?” Minhyuk propped himself down and walked around the desk to sit on the chair, letting out a pleased sigh.

Jeongin suddenly froze. He stopped fighting against the ropes and just sat there, staring right at Minhyuk who was now smiling at him from behind the desk, looking quite pleased with himself. Jeongin’s head pulsed as he remembered the voice from the video-call back in the chicken restaurant.

“Minhyuk?” Jeongin asked, voice barely audible.

“Woojin, please, I prefer that name.” Woojin chuckled.

“But... But you were nice to me!” Jeongin yelled, trying to fight against the ropes again.

“Of course I was nice to you! That’s how you get people to listen to you... Unfortunately I was running out of time.” Woojin sighed. “I asked them not to be too rough on you, are you okay?”

“You’re worried about me?” Jeongin sounded almost insulted, but at least he had given up wasting his energy trying to liberate himself. “Don’t joke with me.”

“I’m not joking, of course I’m worried about you! We were becoming friends, weren’t we?”

“How can we be friends when everything you told me to approach me was clearly a lie?” Jeongin was furious, yes, but he was mostly sad. He had genuinely liked Minhyuk, or well, Woojin.

“The only lie was my name.” Woojin shook his head. “Everything else was real.”

“Why?” Jeongin felt like crying, both from anger and disappointment.

“Would you have approached me if I told you my real name?” Woojin held his eyes, but Jeongin looked away, for some reason he felt guilty. “I didn’t think so.” Woojin sighed.

“Why did you want me to listen to you?” Jeongin asked instead.

“I think you’re interesting Jeongin, you have a hidden potential.” Woojin mused. “When you told me the others didn’t appreciate you, I got curious. You’re genuine as well, you truly want to help everyone and make the world a better place. You want to become a hero.

“But Changbin and Chan don’t want you to do that, they’re oppressing you. Changbin does it because he cares a lot about you, I know him well enough. But Chan...” Woojin sighed. “Chan doesn’t care.”

“What... do you mean?” Jeongin hated the way his eyes had started to sting, he didn’t want to cry in front of Woojin.

“I think Chan only wanted you to help him gather more people that could help him. He never saw you like a hero.” Woojin explained, standing up to walk closer to Jeongin, wiping away a tear that had managed to escape the youngest’s eyes. “But I think that’s good, Chan’s vision of a hero is polluted.”

“Why are you doing this? Trying to destroy the system?” Jeongin didn’t try to attack Woojin or push him apart. His heart had sunk to the bottom of his chest. It hurt to hear that the hero he had admired the most in his life didn’t think much of him. And even if those words came from Woojin, they sounded like truth.

“Chan never told you why I left JYP right?” Jeongin shook his head and Woojin sighed. “I try not to think much about it, but I’ll tell you. As you might know, I used to be Chan’s partner, I was a hero, like him.”

“Yes, your code name was Whisper,” Jeongin remembered.

“But Chan has always been a little blind to reality, he cuts everything so it fits into his mold, and he enjoys being powerful.” Woojin brought out a knife and kneeled in front of Jeongin to start cutting the ropes. “They wanted to use my powers to manipulate some information, to... eliminate some innocent people for the government. They wanted to use me.”

“The company?” Jeongin closed and opened his left hand as the ropes loosened.

“Yes, they had made some deals with people in power; and these people are the real criminals.” Woojin groaned. “Sure, there’s some out in the streets that can do some minor damage, but politicians are the ones that control the world, and they’re always hungry for power. I didn’t want to help.”

“Is Chan hyung...”

“Helping them? I don’t know for sure, but I do know one thing,” Woojin finished cutting the ropes. “He doesn’t care about anyone unless everything fits his cookie mold, he thinks our powers were made to serve mankind, but I believe we’re way better than that. We’re better than them.” He stepped away, without turning around. “If you become a hero as the world is, they’ll use you to harm others Jeongin, and to those who know the truth but turn away from it, they’ll kill them. Ask Changbin if you don’t believe me.”

“Changbin hyung?”

“Did you ever wonder why he left JYP?” Woojin extended his hand towards Jeongin, who looked at it. “What do you say, Jeongin? If you help me, we can make the world a better place, one where we’re truly appreciated and where we’ll be able to make our own justice. No one will ever use us again, and no one will hunt Changbin, or anyone else for that matter, down.”

“What do I have to do?” Jeongin asked, his eyes desperately looking for Woojin’s.

“Fight Chan, prove him he’s wrong. You’re not worthless. You’re powerful, and you’re better.” Woojin smiled. “Get him out of the way, and I shall make you into everything you wish for.”

Jeongin looked at the hand extended in front of him and then back at Woojin. The oldest believed in him, he was giving him the most important mission that could be given in such a cause. He could finally prove everyone else wrong, show just how much he was worth. So he took Woojin’s hand.

* * *

The time to meet eventually came and everyone reunited in Minho’s house. He had prepared tea and snacks aplenty for everyone, even going as far as to buy each of their favorites, like the reunion was something special. Jisung had helped him set the house up, even getting extra chairs to make sure no one would be standing like in previous meetings.

It had been one month, and even if Jisung had been helping Chan personally, he felt happy that everyone would be reunited at last. He had learnt a lot from Chan during those simple missions as well, and he couldn’t help but admire the older even more. Minho knew about the missions as well, and although he wasn’t very happy about it, he seemed to like that Jisung had found a source of motivation.

The first to arrive was Changbin, always in time. He seemed very tense when he arrived, but the couple didn’t comment on it and just invited him in, offering him food and drinks. Felix arrived a little after, to the surprise of the rest. Everyone had thought he wouldn’t join them again after his accident, but there he was.

Seungmin arrived last, panting and sighing like he had been running for a long time, just to make it somewhat in time. Felix received him with an over excited hug, since they had been getting closer from all the time spent in the hospital. Seungmin let him know just how surprised he was about him being there, and Felix just kinda authentic his concerns away.

“So, who’s missing?” Minho asked as he went around giving everyone a cup of tea. He wasn’t even sure they all liked tea that much, but it was what he always served and no one had complained so far.

“Uhm,” Jisung looked around and counted heads. “Chan-hyung and Jeongin aren’t here yet.”

“Well, Chan-hyung is usually late because of his work,” Felix pointed out. He grabbed the cup Minho offered and thanked him with a smile.

“True, but Innie is not one to be late to one of these meetings.” Seungmin added, looking at Changbin for answers.

“He’s been going into these little ‘private missions’ as of late, he might still be in one of those and forgot the time of the meeting,” Changbin said, but it sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself. “Let’s just wait for a little longer.”

And so they did. They waited for over an hour, but neither Chan nor Jeongin arrived to the meeting. The atmosphere had turned tense with the passing of the minutes, to the point everyone stopped enjoying the snacks Minho had supplied. Clearly, something was wrong.

“I’m gonna call Jeongin,” Felix finally said when it seemed like Changbin was about to leave the house running.

“I’ll try to contact Chan-hyung.” Jisung brought out his cellphone and left the room to make the call. They tried calling them a few times, but it was to no avail, neither was responding. 

Something was clearly wrong.

* * *

Chan was late to the meeting, he knew this very well. Things had gotten complicated at work and the estimated time of the mission had extended in more than thirty minutes. It was impossible for him to make it in time, and in his rush to get to the meeting, he had forgotten his cellphone in the change room of the JYP headquarters. Since he had no way of letting them know why he was late, he concluded that the best he could do was rush.

As he was running from the office to somewhere safe where he could get a taxi, he noticed a familiar figure approaching him from a few streets over. It took him a moment to make out Jeongin’s face, but when he distinguished the youngest, he felt happy that he wouldn’t have to make the trip alone. He waved at Jeongin, who waved back at him.

“Innie, what are you doing out here still? We have to go to the meeting.” Chan asked him with a smile, while making signals to see if they could catch a cab’s attention.

“I was running some errands.” Jeongin looked intently at him, until his stare caught Chan’s attention.

“Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly but,” Jeongin hesitated, trying to come with the words. “Could you come with me? There’s something important I want to tell you before we go to the meeting.”

Chan looked at him with confusion and curiosity. Jeongin seemed tense, almost like he was anticipating something. What could be so important that Jeongin was late to the meeting just to look for him? He was intrigued, so he nodded and followed Jeongin without question.


	17. Potential

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just because he wasn’t Nameless didn’t make it smart to underestimate him; a knife may not be a longsword, but the edge will cut you all the same.”   
> ― Ed McDonald, Blackwing
> 
> Jeongin shows what he’s capable of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy the chapter! :))
> 
> Remember to leave kudos if you haven’t yet and comments, they keep me going!

Jeongin took Chan to a green area, a little park lined up with trees and bushes. There were some cobblestone paths that went through the grass and had benches by their sides so that people could sit down and rest. The youngest had always seemed more in connection with nature than anyone else Chan had met, so it made sense that he wanted to take him to such a place for something important.

They walked around the park side by side, taking in the scenery in the late evening. They walked around the edge, following the path marked by the trees and bushes that limited the area; it felt like a small paradise in the middle of the city. Chan figured that, if Jeongin was planning to be late to talk to him in private, he would have already told the others, so he didn’t mention it to him. 

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Chan asked, when he figured that Jeongin wasn’t going to start the conversation by himself.

“Hyung,” Jeongin stopped walking and looked at him. “Why did you ask me to join your team?”

“Well, naturally because I think your power can be very useful to fulfill our objective,” Chan answered, albeit feeling a bit confused by the question. “Why?”

“Is it really because of that?” Jeongin insisted.

“Yes.” Chan deadpanned. “Where are you going with this?”

“I just... Don’t feel like I’m being very useful to the team.” Jeongin started walking once again. “You have never sent me on missions with the others, I haven’t fought with the enemy even once. It feels... like I’m decoration.”

It was Chan’s turn to stop walking then. It was true that he hadn’t had the guts to send Jeongin in any mission so far, it just didn’t feel right. He still believed Jeongin’s power was amazing, but he didn’t think it would fit in a battle. And he was very young as well, Chan feared that the challenge of confronting someone else like that was too much of a burden for him.

“I certainly didn’t mean to make you feel that way.” Chan confessed.

“Then why won’t you send me in missions?” Jeongin had stopped just a few steps from Chan, and was looking directly at him.

“I’m sorry Innie, I just... I don’t think you’re ready for that.” Chan sighed. “I think you can still learn from other simpler tasks, there’s no reason to put your life at risk.”

“You do realize the others are not much older than me, right?” Jeongin asked, there was bitterness in his voice, and Chan couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the younger.

“Yes, but-“

“It’s okay hyung, there’s no need to give me excuses.” Jeongin turned away. “That was all I needed to hear.”

Jeongin seemed like a different person when he said that. It sent a shiver down Chan’s spine, but he didn’t have the time to process it as Jeongin snapped his fingers and Chan felt something wrap around him. The tree and shrubs that stood behind him elongated and wrapped all over him, immobilizing his limbs and tightening around him, making it hard for him to breathe.

“Jeongin!” He yelled, struggling against the bindings. The youngest turned around and looked at him.

As the sky got darker, Jeongin’s eyes shone in the darkness. They were changed, and seemed to be feline-like, giving the younger a terrifying and unnatural appearance. The plants engulfed him, and suddenly Chan couldn’t see anything else but leaves and branches.

It was impossible to move and it felt like the plants were trying to suffocate him, so Chan use every ounce of strength and let the energy out of his skin in an ember light that burned the plants to their core. He felt something sharp drag against his face and screamed in pain. Chan covered his right eye with his hand, feeling the area around it burn and swell up as it bled.

When his mind cleared up and he stopped feeling dizzy, he was able to see Jeongin standing a few meters from him. His hands had deformed and now his nails were long and sharp, there was no doubt that was what had scratched his eye. In his short time of knowing him, Chan had never seen Jeongin act like this. He had no idea that the younger could even transform his body like this at all, saying he was surprised was not making justice to how he felt.

“Jeongin, what are you doing?” Chan gasped, wiping the blood that dripped from his face with his shirt.

“I’m trying to kill you.” Jeongin said matter-of-factly, shrugging it off.

“But why?” Chan was having trouble focusing since he couldn’t open his right eye at all, he needed to buy himself time.

“Well obviously because you’re a nuisance to Woojin hyung’s plans.”

“You talked to him...” It was not a question. Chan knew just by the look in Jeongin’s eyes that he was far too gone. There was no going back now.

“Stop it,” Jeongin said through gritted teeth. “Stop sounding so sad about it.”

Chan didn’t have time to reply as a flock of birds descended right into his face and started pecking at his face, clearly trying to go for the eyes. Jeongin was attacking him without rest, so he would need to be quick. He needed to remind himself that the younger was not who he knew anymore, he couldn’t lose here.

He brought up all of his energy to his skin, which started radiating light as it heated up more and more. The birds flew away, pained by the heat that emanated from him and Chan was able to see again. It was difficult and dangerous to control his energy like that, accumulating it without letting it escape his skin, but he would need to resist. 

Instead of letting it go all at once, he started throwing it towards Jeongin like small, round projectiles. The youngest was good at evading him, his agility and reflexes were inhuman, but it only made sense. Jeongin was drawing his powers from an outer source. Chan just had to find it, but the youngest wasn’t making it easy for him. It was like nature had turned against him.

Even if his skin was almost literally on fire, trees and shrubs would extend their branches and try to keep him in place. Birds would go down on him and try to peck his eyes out, or just scratch him everywhere. Everything moved with one mind to try to defeat him. It was terrifying to know that such mind belonged to Jeongin, and that the youngest possessed such determination to end him.

“Jeongin! You have to stop!” Chan attempted to negotiate with him once again.

“Why would I?” Jeongin growled, he seemed frustrated that it was getting more difficult to fight against Chan.

“Just stop it Jeongin, this isn’t you.” Chan pleaded again, trying to figure out where the animal he was drawing power from was.

“How would you know who am I in reality?” Jeongin started advancing towards him. Everything that surrounded him seemed to become more aggressive with each step the youngest took. “You never cared enough to explore the capacities of my true powers. You used me to get the others into your suicidal mission. And now, I am going to stop you.”

“Then I’ll set this place on fire.” Chan threatened. Jeongin’s eyes looked to the side just briefly, to a set of benches and bushes further into the park. That was everything Chan needed.

“Then I’ll make you burn with it.”

* * *

“That’s it, I’m going out.” Changbin stood up and almost ran out of the room.

“I'll go with you!” Felix ran behind him, closely followed by the rest of them.

“Wait!” Minho stopped them before they had reached the entrance door. “Let me try to see if I can find them with a vision, unless you’re thinking of going out with no clues.”

Changbin, the most tense out of them, stopped on his tracks and looked back at Minho. It was obvious he was feeling desperate, but it was true, he had no idea where to begin looking for Jeongin. Changbin nodded, and Jisung helped Minho sit down so he wouldn’t fall in the middle of having a vision.

Minho did his best to focus. He closed his eyes and leant back on the sofa, trying to relax so he could put all his energy in using his power. The vision came quickly, in successive flashes that were too bright to make most of the details. Still, Minho was able to make out enough information from it that he had a vague idea of where they were.

He woke up with a start after an explosive flash that swallowed the rest of his vision, almost like burning a movie tape. Jisung held him down and helped him focus on breathing so that he could calm down and bring back the memories of the vision he had just had. Once he had calmed down, he explained it to the others.

“There’s too much going on, everything is uncertain.” Minho panted, feeling dizzy. “They’re fighting, against each other. I couldn’t- I couldn’t point out the exact place but they’re close to the headquarters of JYP.”

“Is Jeongin okay?” Changbin asked. Everyone else felt sorry when they heard the misery ingrained in his voice.

“I can’t tell, I’m sorry.” Minho shook his head, feeling genuinely sorry about not being able to give him a clear answer.

“I think you should stay here love.” Jisung pushed Minho back against the sofa and passed him a cup of tea. “The rest of us, let’s go find them.” Minho grabbed Jisung’s arm before he could walk away.

“Be careful,” he said, worried. Jisung leaned in and gave him a quick peck.

“I will.”

* * *

Chan was starting to feel tired. He couldn’t control the energy in him anymore, and he felt it slip out of his fingers. What he needed was time, to recharge and to come up with an actual plan. Jeongin was restless; it almost seemed like using his powers was costing him no energy. Meanwhile, Chan was blinded from one eye and his body was scratched to the point of drawing blood from him. He was exhausted.

As soon as the heat dissipated from his skin, the plants went to grab him once again. He let them, this time, while trying to regain his breath. They immobilized him from the arms and legs, making him hover a little over the ground. He felt a branch wrap around his neck, without putting pressure just yet, and then Jeongin was standing right in front of him.

“Any last words?” Jeongin asked, looking satisfied that Chan was seemingly giving up.

“Don’t make me do this.” Chan exhaled, as he felt the energy bubbling inside of him once again.

“Guess not.” Jeongin snapped his fingers again and the bench wrapped around his neck started applying pressure.

Chan struggled for air, and tried to rip the branch apart with his hands, but they were tied tightly behind his back. He closed his eyes, focused on pushing the energy out of him, and felt it surge without control, swallowing everything around him. The trees dropped him on the ground as they disintegrated and he heart Jeongin’s scream as he was thrown away with the force of the explosion.

The oldest gaped, trying to breathe in as much air as possible. He was seeing black spots all around and thick smoke clouded his vision, making it difficult to orient himself. Once he was finally able to focus, he could hear faint screaming and complaints coming from somewhere. Chan stood up and looked around, until he found Jeongin laying on the ground, cradled by bushes and animals that moved frantically around.

“My eyes!” Jeongin cried, screaming at the top of his lungs. One of his hands was covering his face, while the other searched aimlessly for something.

“Fuck,” Chan whispered, limping his way towards Jeongin.

The birds surrounding him started pecking him, trying to scare him away, but he pushed through nonetheless and reached towards him. The youngest had burns all over his body, definitely caused by how close he had been during the explosion, yet he wouldn’t stop screaming about his eyes. Chan was careful to grab his arms and pull them away so he could judge the damage. Jeongin had his eyes firmly closed, but there was a nasty burn on his face that spoke no good.

“Hyung...” Jeongin sobbed, clearly in so much pain. Chan swallowed.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

* * *

Jisung’s phone started ringing and he fumbled to take it out from his jeans. It was Jeongin’s number. He told the others just as much and Changbin immediately rushed to take the phone, not even giving Jisung the chance to answer. He picked up the call and started yelling into the receiver, much like a worried parent would do when their child has been missing for hours. There was silence, around him and in the line, and it broke Changbin’s patience.

“Jeongin for the love of god, say something...” he pleaded. He sounded so broken and tired that everyone else couldn’t help but look away.

“Changbin.” Except it was not Jeongin’s voice that returned his pleads, and Changbin felt his heart break in pieces. “Changbin listen to me, Jeongin and I are at the hospital.”

“What do you mean at the hospital?” His voice faltered. He looked so small as he gripped the cellphone tight until his knuckles turned white.

“I’m sorry Changbin, I’m really sorry...” Chan replied instead, because he didn’t know what else to say. Jeongin’s condition was uncertain.

“You piece of shit.” Changbin voice came out in a waver, tears quickly spilling from his eyes. He tries to show his back to the others, doesn’t want them to see him like this. “Don’t do this to me Chan, not Jeongin.”

“He’s going to be okay, I promise, I—“ Chan took a breath. “I’ll get Youngjae to use his powers on him. He’ll get through this.”

“I will never forgive you for this, Bang Chan,” Changbin muttered. There was a brief moment of silence.

“I know.” And then, Chan hung up.


	18. The Weight of Living, Pt. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There's an albatross around your neck  
> All the things you've said  
> And the things you've done  
> Can you carry it with no regrets  
> Can you stand the person you've become  
> Ooh there's a light”  
> — Bastille, The Weight of Living, Pt. I
> 
> After the fight with Jeongin, things start breaking apart among the team, is this the end?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it’s a little bit later than usual, but here I bring you today’s chapter. As usual, I hope you enjoy it and you leave some comments or kudos if you haven’t yet. I hope everyone is staying home and taking care of yourselves, as well!

Being kicked out of the hospital hadn’t been in anyone’s plans, but no one could have predicted Changbin’s reaction when they met with Chan. He had thrown himself on top of Chan as sudden and quickly as the snapping of a branch. It had surprised everyone, including the unsuspecting nurses. There was screaming, and a lot of yelling. 

After the guards had pushed them out of the building, Changbin tried to attack Chan once more. Jisung and Felix had to hold him down, receiving a few punches themselves, but eventually they got him to calm down. Chan just stood there, unmoving. He looked exhausted, and his lip was bleeding where Changbin had successfully punched him the first time. 

“What happened to you?” Minho asked, realizing then just how bruised Chan was, almost like a cat had done a number on him.

“Jeongin is… quite strong,” Chan tried to smile, but the motion hurt him.

The mention of Jeongin’s name seemed to ignite Changbin’s anger once again. He head-butted Felix on the chin, who let go of him in surprise; then, he twisted his arm free from Jisung and kicked him on the stomach before disappearing so no one could catch him. 

A clean punch landed on Chan’s jaw and he stumbled backwards. It stung painfully, but he didn’t even try to raise his arms in defense as another punch landed on his left cheek. Jisung yelled something next to him. Everyone was either telling Changbin to stop or Chan to defend himself, but the eldest just shook his head. Jeongin had been his responsibility to a degree, and he had failed to protect him. He felt like he owed Changbin at least this.

A punch to his gut stole the air from his lungs and he stumbled backwards, landing on his bum and breathing harshly for air. The next hit landed on his jaw as a hand wrapped around his hair, and the blow sent him backwards. He felt the stung that came with biting his tongue and the rush of blood that filled his mouth with its metallic taste. Chan groaned. The blow had been way more painful and hard than the others, so he guessed Changbin had used his knee. 

“For fuck’s sake hyung!” Jisung yelled, motioning to approach him when Chan raised his hand, asking him to stop.

He felt the pressure moments before Changbin materialized, sitting on top of his chest. The younger’s hands curled on the collar of his shirt and shook him slightly. Changbin’s strength left him with each deep breath he took, and soon his anger turned into tears. He sobbed while holding onto Chan’s collar, and Chan couldn’t help but feel pity.

“You promised.” Changbin coughed, trying not to choke on his tears. “You promised nothing bad would happen to him.” Chan shook his head.

“I promised,” he began, holding Changbin’s hands in his. “That I wouldn’t send him on any dangerous missions.” He tugged until Changbin’s hands let go of his collar, and then proceeded to embrace his friend. “I had no idea this would happen Changbin, I had no way to stop it. And I’m sorry.”

Changbin let the oldest hug him, all fight gone from him. The rest observed in silence, feeling awkward and out of place. None of them were truly close with Changbin besides Chan and Jeongin, no one knew what to do about it. Jisung tried to approach them, to say something, but Minho held his hand and pulled him back, shaking his head.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Changbin regained his composure and got up from the floor. Felix and Seungmin immediately helped Chan up, but the eldest brushed them aside once he was up. Exhausted couldn’t even begin to describe how he looked. The tension felt between the group was horrible, it couldn’t even begin to compare to the time Chan and Hyunjin had fought, and Chan started fearing for the unity of his group. Before he could say anything, however, Minho intervened.

“I think we should go to my house and talk things out.” He looked towards the entrance of the hospital. “Before the guards call the police or something on us.”

* * *

It felt weird to visit Minho’s house and find it dark and empty. The feeling didn’t last long, however, as the second oldest quickly busied himself and began preparing tea to serve the others as they made themselves home in his living room. Jisung tried to tend to Chan’s wounds as soon as he was seated, but the eldest brushed him aside with a shake of his head.

“It’s okay, I’ll get them treated at the JYP Headquarters.” He sighed. “It’s likely someone already reported the fight anyway, so I’ll have to deal with that later.”

Minho joined them after a few minutes with fresh cups of tea and unopened cookie packs. He made everyone grab a cup and eat some cookies until they looked lively once again. Then, he grabbed the first aid kit Jisung had brought for Chan and approached Changbin, who was sitting further away from the rest.

“Leave me alone hyung.” Changbin grumbled.

“You will stuff your mouth with those cookies and shut up before I beat you up, alright?” Changbin’s eyes widened, surprised at the sudden outburst, and nodded his head obediently. Behind Minho, Jisung whistled softly, gaining the attention of the others.

“That’s hot.”

“You’re sleeping outside tonight, Jisung.” Minho didn’t even bat an eye as he applied some rubbing alcohol on Changbin’s wounds, who was trying his best to not hiss.

“I’m sorry.” Jisung mumbled, glaring at Seungmin and Felix who were trying their best not to laugh.

“So, Chan hyung, will you tell us what happened?” Minho continued, warning Changbin with a glare every time he moved away from his touch.

The room grew silent as everyone awaited for Chan’s response. Chan had his eyes fixed on his cup of tea, which was still full to the brim and growing colder by the minute. He took a deep breath before sighing and taking a sip. The warm beverage helped him center his mind once again, and he cleared his throat before speaking.

“I don’t know how, but Jeongin met with Woojin,” he started, remembering the conversation he had had with the youngest before they had fought. “I’m not sure what they talked about, but it is obvious Woojin took a hold of his mind... Jeongin was, different.”

“How was he different?” Changbin asked, eyes glinting with newfound anger.

“Changbin...” Minho said with a warning tone, but the younger shook his head.

“No, I want to hear it.” Changbin swallowed. “I want to know what was so bad that Jeongin ended in the hospital. That Chan had to promise the help of a healer.”

“He was going on and on about how he felt like a burden to the team, because we wouldn’t let him participate in missions.” Chan held Changbin’s eyes as he spoke. “He was cold, and angry, and he was trying to kill me.

“I tried, really hard, to not hurt him,” Chan bit his lip. “But he’s so, so strong, Changbin. I tried to hold on, but I was exhausted...”

“You lost control,” Changbin said, an affirmation.

“I lost control,” Chan nodded. “The burns were really bad. I’m so sorry.”

For a second it looked like Changbin would attack him again. Everyone held their breaths. And then Changbin leaned back on the sofa and covered his face, muffling the soft sobs that escaped his mouth. There was nothing they could say or do to help him feel better. The only option was to wait until Jeongin recovered and got out of the hospital, but even then, it was clear that Chan and Changbin’s relationship was broken beyond repair.

* * *

The meeting with the rest of the team left a sour taste in Seungmin’s mouth. Jeongin was an innocent soul. He was the one with the most potential out of all of them, and now he was on a hospital bed in god knows what state. Seungmin felt the anxiety crawl on his arms and he tried to scratch it away. He felt grief, and pain, and above everything, guilt. He remembered Woojin warning him that developing feelings for the enemy was much too cruel, and he remembered himself pretending not to know what those words meant. He had been foolish.

Dread filled him as he made his way to Woojin’s office. His resolve was as strong as the red marks that littered his arms from all the scratching: he wanted this to stop. He wanted nothing to do with Woojin, or with Chan. Seungmin was tired of causing so much grief and pain; he was tired of lying and keeping secrets, and he feared the guilt was going to eat him alive.

He’s going to kill me, Seungmin thought. It wouldn’t be strange for Woojin to put a gun against his head and just fire away. He shuddered at the thought. But even death seemed nothing compared to the feelings that were weighing him down. So he went on and knocked on the door that led to the study room Woojin used as an office, where he usually met the people working for him.

“Seungmin, fancy seeing you here,” Woojin smiled, gaze focused on the papers he was reading over. “I was starting to think you wouldn’t come today.”

Seungmin swallowed and remained quiet. He didn’t know how to break the news that he wanted to leave. Woojin seemed to notice something was wrong, because he looked up and gently left the documents on the table to focus all of his attention on the younger. Seungmin only managed to hold his gaze for a few seconds before he looked away, worrying his lower lip with his teeth.

“Ah, I see.” Woojin hummed, and Seungmin berated himself mentally. He had completely forgotten Woojin would be able to know what he wanted to do as soon as they locked eyes. “I don’t suppose you brought a resignation letter?”

“I’m really sorry,” Seungmin said instead. For a moment considering to kneel and beg for his life. He had thought before that dying would be less cruel than suffering, but he realized then that he didn’t really want to die.

“Why?” Woojin’s tone was flat, but that was far more terrifying to Seungmin.

“Because-“

“Because you’re too weak to deal with this anymore? Because you’re no longer useful to me?” Woojin’s voice cut through his words, and Seungmin couldn’t help the look of hurt he directed towards the oldest. “What? I’m trying to help you here. I didn’t lie just now, did I? The truth is I knew this day would come when you started developing something for Hyunjin.” He shook his head and smiled. “I must admit I underestimated you a bit, you were able to hold on until Jeongin! You do have a bit of a bad spine in you.”

“Stop, please. Just stop.” Seungmin begged, feeling his face and hands heat up as he listened to Woojin’s words. “I fucked up and I can’t do this any longer. I just want to be left out of it all.” Woojin looked at him with a raised eyebrow, evaluating his words.

“Okay,” he finally accepted, picking his papers back up.

“Okay? That’s it?” Seungmin couldn’t help raising his voice, almost scoffing at the response.

“You’re useless Seungmin, and a coward.” Woojin explained as he read. “Even if you tell Chan everything you know, you’ll continue to be pretty useless.” The oldest spared him a glance. “You leaving me means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, so go.”

Seungmin gaped at him for a moment. Sensing his presence, Woojin looked at him and told him to leave with a motion of his hand. Seungmin turned around and left. He hurried through the hallways and the stairs, expecting someone to just come out from a corner and shoot him dead. Nobody did. It had been too easy, and he realized that Woojin was right, he wasn’t worth anything in the war they were fighting. And maybe it was for the best.

But even knowing that, he felt angry. He felt like his pride and self-worth had been stepped on and shattered to pieces. Seungmin knew he deserved it, he had betrayed every single person he had met until then that had trusted in him, even Woojin. He was pathetic. Despite knowing this, he wanted to somehow take revenge on Woojin, so he pulled at his cell phone and called Chan.

“Seungmin?” The voice that answered sounded tired.

“Can we meet?” He asked. There was a long silence before Chan sighed loudly.

“Are you going to attack me? Because I don’t think I can fight twice in a day.” Chan’s voice sounded almost mocking and it fueled Seungmin’s anger.

“I’m not-!” He took a deep breath. “I’m Woojin’s spy.”

“What?” Seungmin’s heart stopped for a second, realizing what he had confessed through the phone. 

“I...” Seungmin sighed, pressing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “I’ve been Woojin’s spy all along. I knew every time we were walking into a trap. I told him about every single one of our missions. About the team you made.” He crouched on the ground, dizziness invading him as he confessed. “God, I’m such a piece of shit.”

“Seungmin...” Chan’s tone revealed nothing to him about what was going on in the mind of the oldest, and Seungmin tried to hold back a sob.

“I’m so sorry, hyung,” he continued. “It’s my fault Felix was in the hospital, and now Hyunjin and Innie are there too, and I knew what he was planning, I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Chan’s question caused him to laugh for a moment, before he was choking on his tears again.

“Because I couldn’t do it anymore,” he drew in a shaky breath. “I came to like you all too much and I just couldn’t do it anymore, so I left.” He chuckled. “He’s probably going to have me killed.”

“Seungmin, I think we should talk in person-“

“No, I’m done with this.” Seungmin stood up. “I don’t know what his next moves are, he just began to tell me less and less because I began to show my weaknesses.” He took a deep breath. “I don’t want to be part of this anymore hyung, I’m done.”

“Seungmin, wait-“

“I’m sorry.” Seungmin hung up his phone before turning it off and shoving it in his pocket. There was no going back now.

* * *

Changbin didn’t usually think much of his ability. However, as he snuck into the hospital and searched for Jeongin’s room, he found it quite useful. He wasn’t prone to doing illegal things, but when the nurses had told him that Jeongin wouldn’t be able to receive visits anytime soon, Changbin had thrown all his sense of respect for rules out the window and had turned invisible.

Other than knowing he was in the ICU ward, Changbin had no idea where Jeongin was resting, so he spent a while wandering the aisles in hopes of finding him. Eventually, he peaked into the right room and went in when the aisle became empty. He approached the bed in silence and decided to remain invisible when he noticed Jeongin was sleeping.

His heart shrunk in his chest at the sight. Jeongin’s face had been almost completely bandaged, as had been the rest of his body. Chan had mentioned they burns were really bad, but his words couldn’t even begin to describe what he had done to the body of the youngest. Changbin had to force himself to swallow down the tears. He didn’t want to accidentally wake up the youngest who had probably struggled so much to fall asleep due to the pain. 

Changbin remained there for only a few minutes. Going over and over the bandaged injuries on Jeongin’s body and blaming himself, Chan and Woojin for each and every one of them. He felt guilty because he was part of the reason Jeongin had joined Chan’s stupid team; and the anger he felt towards the two enemies almost drowned out his guilt. 

He knew Chan’s side of the story, and he wanted to believe the oldest about it, but his gut told him to not do it. He decided to pay Woojin a visit and get himself some answers. Changbin had no idea where he lived however, so he would have to go to a meeting room and hope that his call would be answered. He took one last look at Jeongin and left the hospital as silently as he had come in.

It was late in the night as he made his way to the only meeting room location he was certain of: the one close to his workplace. He managed to catch the bus there, but he doubted the return home was going to go as smoothly. This time, there was no need for a password. The man guarding the meeting room let him in easily after recognizing him, and that made a heavy weight set on his chest.

The room looked almost the same as it had the first time he had visited. It was mostly empty except for the desk, chair and laptop, and it was just as poorly lit as the first time he visited. There was no reason to keep the place so badly illuminated, Changbin mused, but he guessed Woojin was on the dramatic side of the spectrum. He pressed the call button, and although it took a while, the call was eventually answered.

“This better be important, I have strict orders to not- oh.” Woojin promptly interrupted himself when he landed his eyes on Changbin. “If it isn’t my favorite spy.” Changbin raised an eyebrow, taken slightly aback.

“Why? Are there more than me?” He asked, causing Woojin to chuckle.

“I am the Eye of Providence, I have eyes literally everywhere,” he explained with a smirk. “There are obviously more spies than just you.”

“Right,” Changbin cleared his throat, bringing his focus back to things that mattered.

“Do you have anything to report to me?” Woojin looked at him with interest, but his eyes were knowing.

“You already know.” Changbin blurted; anger spiking again as he realized that Woojin was just toying around.

“There are admittedly a lot of things I already know, care to be more specific?” The oldest smiled. Changbin’s fist came down on the table before he could stop himself.

“You put Jeongin in the hospital,” he forced himself to keep his voice down.

“I did no such thing.” Woojin shook his head. “Although I understand why you’re inclined to accuse me of that.”

“Inclined? You manipulated him into fighting with Chan!” Changbin felt his own volume raise, but he couldn’t keep it down. “You sent him to fight Chan despite knowing fully well that he would not succeed-“

“I believed he was perfectly capable of doing it,” Woojin interrupted, raising a hand to stop Changbin from speaking. “Which is way more than any of you did for him.” He put his hand down. “Jeongin has one of the most amazing powers I’ve had the pleasure to see; I truly believed he had a chance.”

“He’s in the hospital,” Changbin had to force himself to choke down a sob. “He’s completely covered in bandages, he’s...” 

“Broken? Ruined? You continue to underestimate him, like you’ve always done.” Woojin turned his eyes, clearly done with the conversation.

“I was not going to say-“

“You know perfectly well that’s what you’re going to say, Changbin.” Woojin huffed. “You say you love him but you treat him like a collection doll, let the kid grow a little, would you?” Changbin frowned, tears forgotten in favor of the increasing pressure in his chest. “Honestly, you should be grateful Chan even let him live.”

“What?” Changbin felt his heartbeat pick up, eyes frantically searching an answer through the screen. “What do you mean by that?”

“Good night Changbin, don’t contact me unless you have something important to report.” Woojin motioned to stand up. “Or I will break Innie for good.”

The transmission cut off and Changbin screamed, closing the laptop with so much force it would be a miracle if it wasn’t broken. His anger subsided little by little and he closed his eyes. He felt so tired, and so lost; he just didn’t know who to trust and what to do anymore.

* * *

The list of meeting rooms laid discarded on his bed. Chan had gotten an earful at the company for being the second public fight he had gotten in, and his head throbbed painfully ever since. He had tried pulling his mind away from the words of the director by analyzing the information they had on Woojin, but it wasn’t working. He couldn’t stop thinking about Seungmin’s call either as he laid in bed.

Chan had been right about his previous assumptions, there had been a spy in the team who had been reporting their every activity to Woojin. He had been angry for a moment, at Seungmin for betraying them like that —not that there had been any loyalty to begin with, and at himself for not realizing earlier. It was the only way he could explain that Woojin had information on his team and their plans. 

Now his anger had died down and been replaced by that ugly headache and a nagging feeling that there was nothing more to do. Seungmin wasn’t reporting back to Woojin anymore, but what difference did it make when the other already knew he was being hunt down by Chan and a few others. Anything else they did from then on would be useless. Maybe it was time to take matters into his own hands.

He didn’t want to doubt those who had agreed to help him, but after being attacked so easily by two of his supposed teammates and discovering that another one was just a spy, there wasn’t much of a choice. It felt like Woojin had been toying with him the whole time. The sole idea brought back memories of when he had left the company, leaving Chan despite the promises they had made. He couldn’t tolerate it.

Chan’s hands fumbled around the mattress until he found the list. He went over it again until he found a location that was close to his house that he could walk so as to not attract suspicions with his car. He stood up and stopped on the door. He stalled, thinking over his plan for a second, until he finally opened the door and walked out. It was time to meet an old friend.


	19. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”   
> ― Mark Twain
> 
> Seungmin talks to Hyunjin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short and sort of sweet chapter to compensate for everything that has been going down in previous chapters. I hope you enjoy it!

Finding the meeting room wasn’t particularly difficult. By now, Chan had learned and understood the pattern Woojin’s minions were using to hide around the city. It was late in the night, so the place was closed down when he arrived, but that did not stop him from forcing the entrance open. It was a small garage, badly kept. No alarms sounded, so Chan guessed he had plenty of time to do what he needed.

There weren’t many things around, just the standard desk and chair with the laptop. Chan couldn’t help but wonder for a moment, as he took a seat, just how much had Woojin spent in laptops. It occurred to him just then that maybe he could trace the location and identity of the man just by researching big purchases on laptops. But then again, Woojin wouldn’t be that careless.

He turned the laptop on and stalled on the home screen for a moment, uncertain of what to do. The only direct access was to a chatting app so he opened it. An account was already logged in, and the only contact in it was the Eye of Providence, who Chan guessed was Woojin. He took a deep breath and clicked to start a video-call. It rang a few times before being dismissed, and it took Chan two more tries before it was finally answered.

“What did I say about calling me late in the night?!” Woojin yelled. He was facing away from the camera, clearly upset about the call.

“Nice to see you too, Woojin.” Chan couldn’t help the smirk that creeped to his face as Woojin turned around quickly, facing him with his mouth agape.

“Chan.” It wasn’t a question. Woojin would never show his surprise to that extent, even if he couldn’t help it showing in his eyes.

“Woojin.” Chan replied. This was the first time he had seen the other in such a long time. He never imagined this would be how the talked to for the first time after he left. Yet there they were, facing each other through a screen. Woojin scoffed.

“My, you’re quite precocious like always,” Woojin muttered. “I wasn’t expecting you just yet.”

“So you were expecting me?” Chan raised both his eyebrows, questioning him.

“Of course, you might be unpredictable for everyone else, but I know you.” Woojin smiled. “I have for quite sometime and I knew you’d eventually get tired of the little surprises I was sending your way.”

Chan sighed. His headache was coming back stronger, and he had to tear his eyes away from the screen as the light hurt him. Having Woojin against him was dangerous. He wondered if there was something he could have done to avoid this, but as much as he tried, he couldn’t even begin to understand what had caused Woojin to run away.

“Stop pretending you care,” Chan huffed.

“What, like you?” Woojin laughed. “If I recall correctly, you’re the one who’s been waiting all this time for me to appear.” Chan frowned, and Woojin’s smile widened. “Cut the bullshit Bang Chan, why did you come looking for me?”

“I want to know what you want,” Chan crossed his arms. “Why you did what you did to Hyunjin and Jeongin.”

“I did not do anything to them, Chan.” Woojin frowned. “That was all you. If I recall correctly, Hyunjin had a leg completely shattered. And Innie, well, let’s just say it’s not pretty.”

“I wouldn’t have fought with them had you not-“

“You wouldn’t have fought with them had you not gotten any of them involved in this.” Woojin interrupted him as soon as he noticed Chan’s volume raising. “But you always have to make sure you have a way out of the dirty stuff, right?”

Woojin’s words were making it harder and harder for him to control his anger. His head ached with a persistent throb and everything felt suffocating around him. Admittedly, things just went continuously wrong that day. His patience was barely hanging by a thread.

“Just tell me what you want, Woojin.” He insisted, voice restrained and rough.

“Yessir,” Woojin exclaimed, raising a hand to his forehead. “What I want is simple. I want justice for the supers, I want us to be treated like the superior species that we are.” He leaned back on his chair as he explained this. “I want to uncover all the dirty stuff superhero companies have been keeping under the rug and bring them down. And I’m afraid you’re in my way.”

“You’re not on the right side of history, Woojin.” Chan sighed. The sole idea of the future Woojin wanted to create was revolting to him.

“And you’ve been brainwashed by the Director, or should I say Park Jinyoung? Too bad Daydream shares a name with him, I like him much better.” Woojin shrugged.

“I’m going to come for you.” Chan promised, and that promise had never seemed so real for him. Woojin simply smiled.

“And I’ll receive you with open arms.”

* * *

When morning came, Seungmin found himself waking up with a headache. He had tossed and turned around all night, hunting for sleep, but he had startled awake several times from dreams in which either Woojin or Chan came to kill him. He was surprised he was alive at all, but he wouldn’t question it. 

Having revealed the truth the night before, his chest felt somewhat lighter. It didn’t change the guilt of having put several people in the hospital, people he wished he could call friends without feeling guilty, but at least it had cleared his mind. Dropping it on Chan like that, through the phone call, had been stupid. However, it was already done and Seungmin could only hope that the eldest would respect his wish of being left out of it.

Seungmin had nothing to offer anymore. Not to Woojin and definitely not to Chan, he just wanted to be his own person. And the first thing that came to his mind was to visit Hyunjin. It was such a corny thought, and he couldn’t help but reprimand himself for it, but Hyunjin had been nothing but sweet and welcoming and had hinted at asking him out. And maybe, after working for nearly a year with Woojin and his resistance, maybe he deserved something honest for himself.

He sighed. Was there anything honest about lying to someone about your intentions so you could infiltrate their team? No, he concluded. Seungmin tossed around on his bed for a moment, fighting with himself. He had been part of the reason Hyunjin was now in the hospital, he owed him at least an apology. Even if, deep down, he knew that his reasons for going to pay a visit were mostly a selfish desire.

With a new found excuse, Seungmin forced himself to take a shower and get a clean change of clothes on. He repeated over and over in his head what he would say in his apology. And above all, he promised himself that if Hyunjin couldn’t forgive him, then he would disappear once and for all, no questions asked. The most selfish part of him hoped for forgiveness however, if only because Hyunjin had also committed treason, in a way —although this was also partially Seungmin’s fault.

The trip to the hospital felt more familiar than he would have liked. All of them were spending a lot more time there since Chan had come up with the idea to form a team, but Seungmin couldn’t find it in him to blame him. Woojin was a very difficult opponent after all. 

The nurse smiled at him, sympathetic after having seen him and the rest visiting frequently. He signed in his visit and went up. He arrived to Hyunjin’s shared room in no time, and came in, willing his heart to calm down. He only realized once he stood in front of the other and saw his read eyes, that Hyunjin had had no idea about what had happened to Jeongin, and Seungmin felt his heart sink further into his chest.

“Oh, Seungminnie, you came.” Seungmin could hear the unshed tears in Hyunjin’s voice as he tried to stop it from wobbling all over.

“Hyunjin...” He muttered, going to take a seat next to the bed. “You heard?” Hyunjin nodded quickly, breaking into a watery smile for a few seconds.

“Felix was here before you, he just left.” He explained, reaching over for the tissues that were kept next to his bed.

Seungmin took a deep breath, trying to not lose the little braveness left in him. He had asked Woojin to leave just fine, and had even confessed to Chan without thinking much about it, so why was it so hard to tell Hyunjin? He realized once again that Woojin had been right, developing feelings was just too cruel. Yet, he was there next to Hyunjin, and he had promised himself to tell him the truth. He had to try.

“Hyunjin, actually...” Hyunjin looked back at him, eyes still bright with tears, and Seungmin had to look away. “I came here because I have to tell you something.”

Hyunjin waited in silence for a moment, but seeing that Seungmin wasn’t saying anything, he grabbed his hand and held it softly, trying to encourage him. It came as a surprise to him when Seungmin started to cry. For a split second, Hyunjin feared the worst, that maybe Jeongin was dead. Then, Seungmin began apologizing non stop, and al. he could feel was confusion.

“Why are you apologizing Seungmin?” Hyunjin asked, trying to lift Seungmin’s face with his hand, but the other keep moving away from him. “Minnie?” The little nickname seemed to make everything worse, because Seungmin just started to cry harder. Hyunjin was starting to feel restless. “Hey, don’t cry, it’s okay. If you cry like that, the nurses will take you away for disruption.”

Seungmin nodded profusely, coughing as he tried to stop himself from crying more. He didn’t even have a right to break down like that. Plus, the fact that Hyunjin was being so nice and comprehensive with him made him feel even worse. Seungmin didn’t deserve his kindness or his comforting words. He needed to tell him.

“Hyunjin, I’m so sorry, I really am.”

“Okay,” Hyunjin seemed to think his next words carefully. “What for?”

“I’m part of the reason that you’re in the hospital right now,” Seungmin hiccuped. “It’s also my fault that Innie is hospitalized.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Hyunjin muttered. Seungmin took a deep breath, knowing full well it was time to come clean.

“I was working for Woojin,” silence filled the room for a moment before realization dawned on Hyunjin. “That’s the reason I approached you that day at your workplace.” Talking seemed to help him get his tears under control, because the more he said, the easier it was to breathe. “I was tasked to report to Woojin, and at first I didn’t mind, it was an easy job, but you were all so nice to me...

“And when Jeongin was admitted to the hospital yesterday I just couldn’t take it.” Seungmin took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry Hyunjin. I already came clean to Chan, I asked him to leave me out of the group, since I’m obviously not worth the trust.”

Hyunjin remained silent, carefully examining Seungmin’s expressions. Seungmin’s heart was a wild mess inside his chest; he had finally come out clear. He had expected any sort of reaction from Hyunjin, but this deafening silence was not one of them. Finally, Hyunjin squished his hand and sighed.

“You probably hate me so much now-“

“I don’t hate you.” Hyunjin shook his head. “I am disappointed, but I don’t hate you...” Hyunjin groaned, trying to come up with the words. “We all do things in war that we’re not proud of; you might have given information about us to Woojin, but ultimately, he would have found out even if you didn’t do it.”

“Hyunjin-“

“No, let me finish,” Hyunjin exhaled. “You did your job and that’s it. Ultimately, Chan is the person who put me here, because I tried to kill him, which is fair enough.” Seungmin sniffled. “And honestly, the fact that you’re a spy should make me like you less but it’s not so I guess I’m the weird one here.”

“You- what?” Seungmin couldn’t help it when his voice raised, which earned him a complaint from the other people in the room. “What do you mean?”

“I’m pretty sure I made myself clear last time, that I like you; as in, I find you attractive and would like to take you out on a date?” Hyunjin looked at him in disappointment, although for a completely different reason.

“I thought you were kidding!” Seungmin whisper-exclaimed. “I just told you I’m a- was, a spy, and all you can think of is of this?”

“We’re all a little fucked up after this, don’t you think? I had to watch my best-friend bleed out and was blasted off into a building,” Hyunjin snickered. “I stopped caring about the order of my priorities when I saw my life flashing before my eyes.” Seungmin groaned.

“Fair, I suppose...”

“So what I’m saying is...” Hyunjin grinned. “Would you go out on a date with me when I can walk again?” Seungmin went silent for a moment before smiling.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?”

* * *

Jisung liked lazy mornings like this one, where he would wake up but just remain quiet and still between Minho’s arms. Both of them knew the other was awake but they liked to play pretend and just remain in bed a little longer. It was easy, to just do that. Jisung wasn’t studying and he didn’t work until the afternoon. And Minho had worked from home for a very long time, so they didn’t have to move just yet.

Eventually, though, Jisung grew restless and turned around on Minho’s arms. The eldest groaned as he felt him move and opened just one eye to peek at him, gesture which Jisung returned with a big grin. The youngest cradled the face of his boyfriend with cool hands and proceeded to pepper his face with butterfly kisses. He elicited a soft laugh from Minho, who became squirmish under the gentle touch.

“I see you’re in a better mood,” Minho mumbled, stopping Jisung so he could press a firm kiss on his lips.

“I guess a good night sleep is always helpful,” Jisung supplied, grinning contently.

“That’s good,” Minho sighed before kissing his forehead.

“You’re sighing again,” Jisung pointed out, frowning.

“Hm?” Minho poked the frown softly.

“I don’t know, you’ve been sighing a lot lately.” Jisung muttered, before snuggling closer to Minho.

“I guess,” Minho hummed. “Might be because I’m a little worried.”

“That something will happen to me?” Jisung looked up at him, nuzzling his neck.

“To you, to us...” Minho smiled and gave him another kiss, causing Jisung to chuckle. “I would like it if you put some distance between yourself and Chan.”

“Why, are you jealous I’m gonna leave you for my favorite superhero?” Jisung teased, gaining himself a pat on the shoulder.

“You know it’s not that, idiot.” Both of them laughed, and Jisung nuzzled once again into Minho’s neck.

“It’ll be fine, I’m pretty strong after all,” Jisung gave a reassuring kiss to his chin, and Minho hummed.

“I know, I trust you.” Still, he couldn’t help the uneasiness that spread through his chest.


	20. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Guess that's thirty-one pieces of silver you've got now, huh? Sleep well, Judas.”   
> ― Mark Millar, Civil War: A Marvel Comics Event
> 
> Chan takes a new apprentice and Changbin becomes desperate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say that while editing this chapter, I became really surprised by a detail that I wrote a little unconsciously. You could say my characters wrote themselves... But I guess you won’t really understand the weight of it yet! Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and don’t forget to leave kudos and comments because it keeps me going!

Chan was about to go out for a mission when he received a text message from Jisung. It had been a few days since the fight with Jeongin and Chan wasn’t expecting anyone to contact him. He had assumed they were all going to take some time until he looked for them again. So, when he received the message, he was surprised. He decided to call Jisung instead as he turned the engine on, because texting while driving to a dangerous mission was a no.

“Oh, hyung,” Jisung sounded just as surprised when he answered the call. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Neither was I expecting the text,” Chan smiled as he left the underground parking lot in JYP. “What’s up Jisung?”

“Are you busy?” The youngest asked after giving it some thought.

“Well,” Chan hummed. “I’m on my way to a mission.” There’s silence on the other side of the line for a few seconds and then-

“Can I join you?” Chan had somewhat expected the question, but he couldn’t suppress his smile when Jisung finally voiced it.

“Sure, where should I pick you up?”

Jisung texted him the address and they finished the call shortly after. Not even five minutes later, the youngest was climbing onto the copilots seat and fastening his seatbelt. Chan tossed him a discreet mask and motioned for him to put it on, which Jisung complied to without thinking about it twice. Chan drove in silence for a few minutes. It wasn’t until they were close to the location of the mission that he decided to ask.

“What are you thinking of Jisung?” The older muttered as he pulled over behind a tall building. The place of the mission was a few blocks away, so he planned to sneak over there instead of driving to gather less attention to themselves. 

“What do you mean?” Jisung asked, trying to smile through his obvious discomfort.

“Well, you’re less talkative than usual; I thought you would at least ask me what the mission is about.” Chan shrugged, turning off the engine and looking at Jisung.

“I suppose so,” Jisung laughed, roughly rubbing the back of his neck. “Minho hyung hasn’t been feeling well, and I’m a bit worried.” Chan raised an eyebrow at that, questioning.

“Why are you here instead of with him, then?” He found it weird, since the two seemed to love each other a lot. “Did you fight?”

“No! No...” Jisung raised his voice before letting it fall again, shaking his head. “We didn’t fight, it’s just... Don’t take it the wrong way, okay?” Jisung looked at him, hopeful, and Chan has no choice but to nod. “He’s worried about what you’re doing and my involvement in it.”

“He’s afraid you’ll get hurt?” Chan mused, trying to understand.

“Yes, we pretty much only have each other.” Jisung smiled, looking down at his hands. “But I can’t not support you, hyung.” He looked back up and Chan couldn’t help the surprise when he saw how determined Jisung’s eyes looked. “I believe you’re doing what’s right, I support your cause, and I want to help.

Chan couldn’t help the smile that formed on his lips. He covered his face and rubbed it hard before groaning. It’s like a wave of relief has washed over his entire body and it made him feel more relaxed, more optimistic. He stretched a hand to ruffle Jisung’s hair and the younger complained, but he was smiling too.

“Thanks, I needed to hear that.” Chan chuckled. “Let’s go now, we have some criminals to catch.”

* * *

Changbin’s head felt like it would burst open. It had been feeling like that ever since Jeongin had been admitted into the hospital, which marked the exact date he had stopped sleeping properly. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t stay asleep. The memory of the call with Chan when he had told him Jeongin had to be taken to the hospital and the image of him on the bed covered with bandages haunted him non-stop. 

Woojin’s words also haunted him at night. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he had said about Chan, and he found himself starting to doubt everyone, unsure of who to trust anymore. Changbin had agreed to help because of the debt he had with Chan, but he had found himself not minding that much as things progressed. Now, he just felt uncertain.

When he decided he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again, he got up and went to the little kitchen. These last few days without Jeongin had brought the realization of how empty his life was without the younger, and he missed him dearly. He had also reflected about how stupid it had been to involve himself in the battle between such powerful people. However, as much as he wanted out, he couldn’t stop thinking of Woojin’s words.

Changbin was certain that the oldest knew more about Chan that he was keeping for himself. This wouldn’t be the first time he doubted his friend, but somehow, it was the first time he felt he had a reason to. After all, Woojin had said that he should be grateful for Jeongin being alive, an odd idea if he considered they were all allies. He needed to speak to Woojin again.

To present himself without any sort of valuable information was a bad idea, however, since Woojin had clearly warned him against it. He considered to let it go and prepared himself a sand which. But no matter how much he tried to appease his gut with food, everything told him there was something just wrong. He needed answers, even if it meant betrayal. But could he live with the guilt? Would there be guilt at all? Changbin felt like the last bits of his loyalty had withered away when Chan had put Jeongin in the hospital.

As soon as he was done with his sandwich, Changbin went looking for the house phone. He didn’t know if Chan would have the in-ear with him, and any form of written communication wouldn’t be fast enough. He had considered getting a cellphone after they started with the missions, but he hadn’t. What he had done, however, was getting the numbers of the rest of the team in case of emergency. This was such an emergency.

“Please pick up,” he muttered as he dialed the number and waited. It rang for a couple of times before the line connected, and then he sighed in relief. “Hyung.”

“Changbin?” Chan replied. He was breathing heavily, like he had been running. “Did something happen, is Innie okay?” Changbin had to take a deep breath before answering, reminding himself he was doing this for Jeongin.

“Jeongin is fine,” he replied with a strangled voice. Changbin took another deep breath before clearing his throat and continuing. “Are you okay? What are you doing? You sound a bit rough.”

“Huh? Ah, yes.” Chan chuckled. “I just finished a mission, sorry. Things got a bit rough but thankfully I had Jisungie with me.”

“Jisung?” Changbin frowned, this was unusual. Chan liked keeping them separated from his work-life, afraid that his boss would catch them. Why on earth was he taking Jisung on a mission?

“Yeah, he’s a good guy-“ There was an interruption as Chan talked to someone else. Changbin thought he heard Jisung’s voice in the background, but as quickly as he did the voice was gone and Chan was back. “Don’t tell him, but I’m thinking of turning him into my apprentice? He’s strong-willed, and has his mind in the right track.”

“I... see,” Changbin smiled. This was exactly the kind of information he needed to tell Woojin to get some answers in return.

“In any case, why did you call?” Chan’s voice lowered down, as he became serious. “I didn’t think you would ever speak to me again.”

“I...” Changbin hesitated. “To be fair with you, I didn’t want to. Talk to you, I mean.” He sighed, trying to come up with a good enough excuse. “I’m not going to apologize for beating you up, but I thought about what you said, the thing about Woojin getting into people’s minds.” Chan hummed, urging him to go on. “That’s what he did to Jeongin, didn’t he?”

Changbin hated that he still had hopes that Woojin was only messing with his mind, that he had been on the right side the whole time. There was silence on both sides of the line for a moment, and just when he was about to ask Chan for an answer, the oldest sighed. Changbin could almost imagine him nodding.

“Yes, Woojin manipulated his mind into doing that,” Chan explained. “It’s still partially my fault, I set Jeongin in a situation that caused him to meet Woojin. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay hyung, it doesn’t really matter anymore.” That was a lie. Of course it mattered, it was the only thing that mattered to him anymore. “I’ll talk to you later, we should discuss what we’re going to do next.”

“Yes, okay.” Chan agreed. “And Changbin?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for forgiving me.” Changbin could picture it, the smile on Chan’s face. He felt bad for a second.

“Don’t mention it hyung.”

* * *

Later that night, after work, Changbin found himself walking to the meeting room he had used previously. He had been thinking about it the whole day, weighing his options, but in the end he had decided that he needed to know more, to find the missing pieces of the story. He needed to decide where to put his remaining trust, even if eventually it turned out he couldn’t trust anyone.

By now, the man in charge of that particular room wasn’t surprised to see him and let him in easily. Changbin sat in front of the laptop and started a video-call. It rung for a couple of times before he was greeted by the familiar scenario that was Woojin sitting in his office. The silence stretched for a moment as they weigh each other, and then, finally, Woojin smiles.

“Fancy seeing you here, Changbin,” the oldest greeted him. “I do hope you remember the warning from last time.”

“I do. I come here with information.” Changbin kept his face as neutral as possible, he needed to play his cards right if he was going to negotiate with Woojin himself.

“Okay, I’m all ears.” Woojin leaned towards the camera, propping his chin on his hands.

“Before that...” Changbin started, deciding it was now or never. “I want to ask you something, in exchange for the information.” 

“Oh, you’re getting quite brave.” Woojin chuckled. “I don’t think you’re in any place to ask for anything.”

“I know.” Changbin held his gaze. He could feel his hands start sweating under the table, and prayed nothing would give him away. Woojin hummed and nodded after a moment.

“Okay, I’ll answer your question.” Changbin had to hold back from sighing in relief. “What information do you bring me?”

“Chan hyung is starting to act a bit unpredictably, it seems like he’s training someone to be his apprentice.” Changbin started to explain, leaning back on the chair as he relaxed. “He still hasn’t arranged a new meeting to discuss plans, but he’ll do it soon.”

“He is training someone?” Woojin seemed to perk up at that bit of information, which was exactly what Changbin had hoped. “That’s unexpected.” 

“Unexpected? Why?”

“Chan is unable to trust anyone but himself, and the company.” Woojin sighed. “He was like that even when we were partners, I might have made it worse.” Woojin tilted his head. “I was a bit surprised when I learned he had formed a team to bring me down.”

“I see.” The information felt like trying to swallow a stone. It weighed him down and increased the doubts in his mind.

“Well, what can you tell me about his apprentice?” Woojin asked, snapping Changbin out of his thoughts. 

“I- what?” Changbin couldn’t help but ask, confused at the sudden change of topic.

“Yes. My very powerful enemy is training someone,” Woojin explained like it was obvious. “I’m obviously going to want to know more about this new possible threat.”

“As if you don’t have information on all of us already.” Changbin couldn’t help but bite back. He wasn’t going to sell Jisung like that, he was Innie’s dear friend after all.

“Fair enough.” Woojin laughed and shrugged Changbin’s tone away. “Well, it can’t be Hyunjin or Jeongin because they’re at the hospital, and Seungmin dropped out, didn’t he?” Changbin tensed up. “So that leaves us with Felix…” Woojin looked intently at him. “Or Jisung.” Changbin’s breath hitched for a moment and Woojin smirked ever so slightly. “So, what did you want to ask me?” Changbin sat back and thought for a moment, relieved. Woojin wouldn’t want to give information away so easily, so he needed to word his question right. 

“So far you’ve been denying that you manipulated both Hyunjin and Jeongin into attacking Chan, which is weird because you seem like the kind who likes to- share, his achievements.” Changbin tried to explain his reasoning, putting ground for his question. “Why?”

“That’s a dangerous question, Changbin.” Woojin smiled, but his smile looked sour, restrained. “I did talk to them, and I guess that, to a degree, you could say I manipulated them.”

“Then-“

“But I’m not sure our definitions of manipulating are the same.” Woojin continued, disregarding Changbin’s attempt to speak.

“What do you mean?” Changbin asked, he wasn’t even trying to hide his confusion. That hadn’t been exactly the answer he had been hoping for.

“I don’t know what Chan told you about me, but remember how I said he only trusts himself and the company?“ Woojin looked mildly amused at his reaction, but he didn’t have the capacity to mind at that moment.

“You mean he’s been lying to us?” Changbin couldn’t help but raise his voice a little, feeling scandalized from the mere thought.

“I cannot confirm nor deny that.” Woojin chuckled, reaching towards the camera. “Goodbye Changbin, hope to see you soon with more useful information.”

* * *

Jisung sat patiently between the older’s legs as Minho dried his hair. He was cradling a simple tea cup in his hands, blowing on it so he wouldn’t burn his tongue with the tea Minho had prepared while he had been taking a shower. This had become a ritual for them, ever since Minho had welcomed him into his life. Jisung had learned to love the taste of tea, and Minho had been delighted when he had suggested they get matching cups. 

It wasn’t that big of a detail however. Minho had wanted something simple, and Jisung had agreed because he had decided, as soon as he had fallen for the oldest, that he had come to earth solely to make Minho happy. He had ordered a pair of soft mint colored cups with their initials engraved in a silver color. Minho had smiled all day long after Jisung had given them to him, and he used it on a daily basis

Such was the cup he was holding at that moment, sipping from it as Minho dried his hair carefully. Minho’s own cup was sitting on the little table next to the sofa, tea stains on the bottom were the only proof the oldest had been using it. The oldest turned off the hairdryer and gave an appreciative hum as he carded his fingers through Jisung’s fluffy locks.

“I’m done.” Minho said, putting the dryer away and tilting Jisung’s head upwards. Jisung greeted him with a small smile, that Minho couldn’t help but mirror. “Hey.”

“Hi.” Jisung replied, his smile widening. “Give me a kiss?” He puckered his lips, earning himself a light chuckle.

“Why, of course.” Minho leaned in and kissed him. It was a slow kiss, warm and soft and tasted of a slight hint of peach, from the tea hothead had been drinking.

Jisung’s heart was overcome with such joy and warmth that he fumbled to leave his cup on the floor, successfully spilling some of the hot beverage on himself. He hissed, dropping the cup, which inevitably broke apart when it hit the floor. Minho broke apart, and gave the cup one sad look before Jisung was pulling him back down and peppering him with kisses.

“I’m so, so sorry that you have an idiot for a boyfriend.” He mumbled between kisses, genuinely sorry, because he knew just how much Minho loved those cups. Minho pouted, which made Jisung double his efforts as he tried to kiss the pout away.

“You have to make up for this,” Minho huffed. He wanted to be mad, but the kisses were too distracting. Jisung was too distracting.

“I will, I will.” Jisung smiled, knowing he had already been forgiven. “I’m so sorry, I promise I’ll get a new one; I’ll get you a dozen if you want.” He split apart for a moment to caress his cheek softly. “I’ll order it on my way to training, okay?” Minho frowned again and straightened up. Jisung, knowing full well he had messed up this time, turned around to kneel in front of him. 

“Right,” Minho didn’t look at him, and instead looked at the broken cup. “Do you really have to go?”

“You know this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for,” Jisung propped himself up, using Minho’s legs as support, and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. “I’ll be back before you even realize it.”

“Fine.” Minho pouted once again, and Jisung kissed that pout again until it turned into a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Jisung was walking towards the JYP headquarters. He had already completed the order for the new tea cup and felt pumped up and excited. He admired Chan a lot, and just thinking that Nova himself was going to personally train him to become a superhero made him feel giddy. It felt like finally finding purpose after running in the dark for so long.

Just as he was about to cross a street, a black car stopped in front of him. Jisung stopped on his tracks abruptly and had to lean on the vehicle to stop himself from falling. The front window of the copilot’s side opened and a man greeted him with a smile. Jisung’s gut told him to run away.

“Han Jisung, I assume?” The man said. Jisung stepped away and turned to leave, but he found himself surrounded by two tall men.

He tried to sprint away before he was grabbed by the arm and forcefully thrown into the car. The two men got in right after him and closed the doors before the car started driving away. Jisung panicked, and made a move to jump over the driver when he heard soft click and saw the barrel of a gun pointed directly at his face.

“Nice to meet you, my name is Kim Woojin.” Said the copilot, holding the gun steadily. “We need to talk.”


	21. Beautiful Ones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Why do we sacrifice the beautiful ones?  
> Why when they walk with love alone?  
> Why do we sacrifice our beautiful souls?  
> Just trying to find their way home.”  
> —Poets of the Fall, Beautiful Ones
> 
> Chan and Jisung fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m honestly really nervous about this chapter and I just seriously hope you leave a lot of comments about it... Enjoy.

Jisung’s racing heart was the only thing he could hear besides the ringing in his ears. Woojin was looking at him patiently. The gun was still pointed at his face, but to Jisung it felt more like a figment of his imagination, like he was hallucinating. How had he ended like this? He knew the answer by heart, because the same he happened to Hyunjin and Jeongin.

“Not going to attempt an escape? Excellent.” Woojin smiled and put the gun away. “How do you like my little surprise?” He was nonchalant, and it put Jisung on edge.

“Elaborated.” Jisung conceded. “But not really my style.” Woojin frowned, and Jisung swallowed, hoping such a comment wasn’t enough to piss the other off.

“I can see why Chan likes you,” Woojin sighed. “Cocky, but I would bet you’re just as relentless as him.”

Jisung didn’t know if that was a compliment. Probably not, since Woojin and Chan were enemies, but they had also been friends once and had known each other the best. Jisung felt more restless as the seconds ticked by, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Woojin was always this chatty, if maybe it was an strategy he used to break his victims and get into their heads. The fact that none of the other kidnappers were showing signs of paying attention made him more wary.

“Are you going to ask me to kill Chan too?” Jisung breathed out. He wanted to be done with this.

“Oh, a man that cuts down to business!” Woojin exclaimed. “I like you.” Too bad it was not a shared sentiment. “Yes, I’m going to ask you to kill Chan.”

“I won’t kill him,” Jisung shook his head. “I would never betray him.” 

Woojin seemed unimpressed. His lips were pressed into a tight line as he looked into Jisung’s eyes, almost like he was looking for a different answer. After sighing, Woojin grabbed his phone and quickly typed something down, muttering to himself what sounded like numbers. When he was done, he showed the screen to Jisung.

“What the-“

“This is Minho’s address.” It wasn’t a question.

“What are you- Where did you get that?” Jisung’s voice broke in the middle of the sentence. He reached forward to grab the cellphone but the men sitting next to him pulled him back. Instead of replying, Woojin pressed a key and brought the cellphone to his ear.

“I’m going to send you an address,” he started as soon as the call was answered. “You’ll go there and send me a picture of the house once you arrive. Then you’ll stay there and await for further instructions.”

The more Woojin spoke, the more Jisung struggled against the hands of his kidnappers. There was a mix of fear and fury mixing in his stomach, how dare Woojin think of even approaching Minho? He couldn’t seriously be thinking of hurting Minho if he didn’t try to kill Chan, how could someone fall so low?

“I’m not a low creature Jisung, this is just an insurance.” Woojin sighed once again, pocketing his cellphone. “It gets harder and harder to approach Chan, you’re the last straw.”

“Why me?” Jisung lamented. He didn’t even care that he was showing a weak side to Woojin, he could only think of Minho, waiting for him at home.

“Because Chan likes you.” There was something bitter in Woojin’s voice as he said this, but his eyes and composure remained cold and collected.

“What will you do to Minho?” Jisung was quick to ask, knowing very well that the only way to negotiate was to listen to Woojin’s terms.

“I’ll kill him, of course.” Woojin said it so matter of factly that it almost didn’t sound real. “One life for another.”

“What if I don’t win against Chan?” Jisung tried to not sound as desperate as he felt. “He’s strong, he’s had a lot of training.”

“Then I won’t kill Minho, you’ll get enough of a punishment by losing anyway.” Chan shrugged. “I just want you to attack him; if you kill him that’s a bous, but the provocation is what’s most important.”

An alert rang of and Woojin picked out his cellphone. He smiled wide as he turned it around and showed Jisung a perfectly clear picture of the house he shared with Minho. Jisung felt his heart stop for a second and then start beating fear into his veins; he didn’t want to fight Chan, he was his friend after all. Yet, there was nothing more important in his life than Minho. The decision had been made as soon as Woojin had showed him the address, and they both knew it.

“You were on your way to meeting him, right?” Woojin didn’t receive an answer, but he wasn’t expecting one anyway. “Very well, be on your way, and know that I have eyes everywhere. I’ll know if you completed your task. It only takes a call to put a bullet through his head.”

The car stopped in a deserted street. The man to Jisung’s left opened the door and pulled him outside with him before getting on and closing the door. Jisung watched the car drive away and stood there, trying to process the turn his life had taken. He felt desperate, and he knew despair changed people in unknown ways, but there was one thing that could never change in him, and Woojin had seen that weakness. Jisung would do just about anything if it meant keeping Minho safe.

He felt fear for himself. He had seen with his own eyes the state in which Chan had left Hyunjin and Jeongin, one clearly worse than the other. What if he didn’t make it home that night? He needed to let Minho know, somehow, that he would be late. Of course, the truth would have to remain hidden, or else Minho would likely panic and put himself in risk unknowingly. Jisung pulled his cellphone out and willed his breathing to calm down before dialing Minho’s number.

“Sungie?” Minho’s voice cut through the silent night and filled with warmth. “What is it? Are you done with the training already?”

“Not yet.” He couldn’t help but chuckle at Minho’s groan. He was the oldest but sometimes he was even more childish than Jisung could ever be. “Something came up and we might take a little more time than planned.” 

“Not fair.” Minho’s complaint was immediate. “You should be home already, cuddling me to sleep, not with Chan.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Jisung felt guilty for lying to him, but it was necessary. “I promise I’ll get home as soon as possible and stick right by your side, okay?” He heard Minho exhale loudly from the other side of the line and smiled to himself.

“Did you at least put the order for your cup?” Minho sounded resigned, and Jisung felt thankful for him once again.

“Of course, I promised you I would.” Jisung chuckled. “You should go to sleep, okay? I’ll get home and join you in bed.”

“Fine,” Minho huffed. “I can’t believe I have a traitor for a boyfriend.” Jisung tensed, remembering his conversation with Woojin and thinking that maybe Minho had had a vision about it. However, the oldest continued speaking. “If you don’t get home before sunrise, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Yessir,” Jisung put his hand to his forehead and smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

Chan felt restless and concerned. Jisung was supposed to arrive since forty minutes ago and there was still no sign of him, not even a call. It was already dark out there and he was worried the other could’ve gotten lost. However, as soon as he stood up to make a call and start looking for him, his own cellphone rang. It was Jisung. He barely had time to sigh in relief when he picked up the call.

“Hyung, I have really bad news for you,” Jisung’s voice sounded strained.

“What happened? Are you in danger?” Chan was already walking out of the training room he usually reserved for himself, since it was made to be resistant to fire. 

“Not exactly, no,” Jisung sounded hesitant. “You’re not gonna like this, but I can’t meet you for training anymore; instead, I need you to come meet me?” 

“Jisung?” Chan felt a little confused.

“I’ll send you the address.” Was the last thing he said before hanging.

Chan’s feet automatically guided him to the underground parking lot where he kept his car. He didn’t even bother checking out. The message with the address arrived not even a minute later, and just by reading it Chan knew it was a pretty solitary area, and things started clearing up for him. He drove so fast it was nearly a miracle he didn’t get into an accident, and he didn’t park until Jisung became visible in front of him.

“Jisung, what the heck are you doing?” Chan approached him with big steps, fighting to control the edge in his voice.

“I think you’ve been through this situation enough times to know what I’m about to do.” Jisung shrugged. He looked like he wanted to jump right out of his skin. “I met with Woojin,” he grimaced. “Or rather, I’d say he kidnapped me.”

“And now you have to try to kill me, right?” Chan crossed his arms. “You don’t seem like you want to do it, though.”

“I really don’t.” Jisung nodded.

“You’re going to do it anyway, aren’t you?” Chan automatically got into a fighting stance. “Why?”

“I have to protect Minho.” Jisung gave him a look that was asking him for understanding. Chan understood just fine, Minho would always be more important than him and his cause. “Just make sure to take me to the hospital after this okay?” 

Jisung disappeared from his sight and not a second later he was stumbling back, his jaw stinging painfully. This somewhat reminded him of the fight with Hyunjin. The powers were different, but produced a very similar effect, and he wondered if he could beat him in the same way. He felt another blow land on his cheek and forced himself to focus. Jisung wasn’t teleporting, he was running, he wasn’t completely invisible to his eyes.

He focused, and then he saw it, right there, a glimpse of Jisung. The energy shot out of his palms and exploded as it came into contact with the ground, missing Jisung but still causing him to lose his balance. Jisung stood up and began running once again, but this time Chan braced for impact. As soon as he felt Jisung’s punch to his gut, he held onto his arm and pulled him over his shoulder, throwing him away a couple of meters.

“Fuck!” Jisung exclaimed as he landed on his shoulder.

“Give up Jisung, you didn’t grow to be a fighter.” Chan approached him and grabbed him by the collar.

“No, but I have someone to protect.” Jisung grabbed Chan by the wrist and slammed his head against Chan, causing the older to curse and push him away. 

Jisung was quick on his feet as he ran directly against Chan and punched him on the face, causing him to fall. Chan was on the floor, groaning in pain, and he started to run around him. Would it really be so simple? To run around Chan, creating a vortex until he ran out of air and suffocated to death. Jisung picked up his pace as he ran, thinking it over. He could kill Chan, it seemed so simple then, but did he have what it took to finish the job? Could he protect Minho?

Chan could see him running so fast around him it was like a wall had raised and shut him away from the rest of the world. It was suffocating. His chest was ridden by pain as he struggled to breathe. He felt dizzy, his sight plagued by black dancing spots that talked of death. When his legs gave out, Chan came tumbling to the floor and landed on his side. He had to do something. He had to stop it before Jisung suffocated him to death.

He could hear his heart beating with difficulty on his ears as his blood started to boil. The painful light wrapped around his very core and he saw white for a few seconds. Chan didn’t have the energy to scream as the tension in his chest increased until it came undone with the sound of an explosion. And then there was nothing.

He took deep breaths. Coughing and heaving as oxygen ran through his veins again. His vision, a mix of white and black and blurred images, cleared out little by little until he was able to sit down, disoriented. Chan could hear his heartbeat right in his head, painful, throbbing. When he was finally able to stand, he looked around for Jisung first.

Chan saw him lying beside a car that had a very obvious dent in its side. The fragments of condensed energy were still visible all over his skin, like broken glass reflecting the sun. He walked over with difficulty. And as he did, Jisung’s figure and voice became clearer, little by little.

“Hyung…”, the younger said, voice hoarse and painful.

Chan observed as the fragments became dust and disappeared in the wind, leaving nothing more than the open, bleeding wounds. There were so many cuts. Deep, crimson, fatal. They spilled through his clothes and onto the ground, and Chan wondered if Jisung felt cold.

“Hyung-“, Jisung coughed, whimpering in pain, stubbornly trying to hold his tears back. “Help… help me, please.”

“Jisung”, Chan said, stopping next to his friend and kneeling down. He felt the blood seep through his dirty jeans and shuddered.

“Help… Help me, pl- please, it hurts, it, it hurts.” Jisung begged, whimpering and shuddering as he tried to reach towards Chan.

The oldest sighed, pressing a hand to Jisung’s cheek. He was cold, so very cold. A wild contrast with the heat that coursed through his veins. Jisung shuddered at the difference in temperature, and clung to Chan fervently, trying to hold on.

“Jisung…”, Chan placed both of his hands on Jisung’s temples, holding him still. He thought of the feeling of betrayal after he had received the youngest’s call. Chan knew he should stop. There was enough time to call an ambulance and leave that place. Instead, there was a moment of silence between them, before Jisung’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

“No no no, h-hyung stop- stop it, no don’t, don’t do it.” Chan’s hands felt too hot on his face. So painfully hot despite him feeling so cold. “I’m, I’m sorry- I won’t, I won’t do it again, Hyung, please.” 

Jisung tried to pull Chan’s hands away from his face. He tried with every bit of strength left in him, but to no avail. Chan observed him become light. He felt so warm, boiling, as hot as his own blood. There was a loud scream, it was feral and full of pain, something he had never heard before in his life. It felt like an eternity. And then that eternity ended, abruptly. Jisung was no more.

Chan’s hands remained on his friend’s head for a just a little longer. Jisung’s eyes stared at him wide-eyed, frozen in time. He brought the body closer to him in a hug and softly closed his eyelids. His own fingers were completely burnt off at the tips, but they were starting to heal. However, the marks that remained on Jisung’s temple didn't budge. Chan held Jisung close to him, almost like a parent would hold a child.

He remained like that for a moment, fuzzy thoughts plaguing his mind. The first clear idea that came to him was that he needed to let Minho know. As far as Chan knew, Minho and Jisung were everything to each other. He passed his arms under Jisung’s back and knees and lifted him up. The blood soaked up his shirt in the process, but he paid no mind, Chan’s heart and thoughts were somewhere else, far away. 

The walk to Minho’s house was long. Jisung’s body felt heavier with each step, and Chan couldn’t help but think that the boy’s talkative nature would’ve made everything so much easier. His feet guided him through the blind spots of the city. The places where he had chasen criminals and fought evil were now seeing him carry the body of a child. Jisung wasn’t that much younger than him, Chan thought. He  _ hadn’t  _ been that much younger. But his cheerful nature had always made it seem like that. And now the lack of it made Jisung seem even younger, like a sleeping child.

When Chan knocked on Minho’s door, the later opened the door with a disheveled look and bags under his eyes, which were almost closed in an annoyed squint. Something twitched in Minho’s expression when he repaired on Jisung’s face, something akin to recognition that produced a soft smile on his lips. And then the smile broke down, and Chan felt the weight lessen on his arms as Minho began to rip Jisung away from him.

“Minho…” Chan began, but he was interrupted by Minho, who frantically pushed the hair away from Jisung’s hair and tried to shake him awake.

“Jisung,” he said, his voice desperate, and hoarse, and painful.

“Minho.” Chan insisted, but let him take Jisung away from his arms. “Minho, I’m sorry.”

Minho stared at him with wide eyes before he came tumbling down, falling on his knees while clutching Jisung’s body against him. He held him tight, wrapping around him like his life depended on it. Minho screamed. It was nothing like what Chan had heard earlier. This was a human scream. A scream of grief and pain, of loss and love. It was a scream that made Chan stumble back and his head hurt like it was about to break apart. It was, without a doubt, a scream that spoke of the broken soul Minho had been left with. 

Chan held his head down and felt wet on his palms. He was crying. His tears were falling along with Minho’s broken sobs and pleas. He willed himself to stop them, but when he looked outside of the house, to the few people that were still out in the night, he realized all of them were crying too. The woman at the end of the street, kneeling on the floor as she tried to will the tears away. The couple in the front block trying to understand what was happening to them. Even the old man that had been resting in his garden a few houses away had broken down in tears. It was like the city had become one, unique heart. Minho’s heart.

He realized right away that he would never again see someone grieve like he was seeing Minho at that moment. Minho, who clutched Jisung’s body while whispering pleas, and apologies, and bargains. Minho who, Chan realized, had reluctantly entrusted him the life of the person he loved the most, because that person had asked him to. Minho, who even after seeing Chan carrying the corpse of his loved one, had eyes for Jisung only. Chan repaired on the pair of tea mugs waiting in the living room and understood he hadn’t taken just one life away. He just knew, that there was nothing he could say or do that would ever heal Minho’s heart again. So he left.

* * *

_ A strange phenomenon has occurred tonight. Reports from all over the city are coming in with people saying that they can’t stop crying. They describe it as feeling like “immense grief fills their chests, like a part of them has been ripped away” and they just can’t help but cry. Authorities report a phenomenon like this is unprecedented, but is suspected to be a potential effect of someone’s powers and warn the citizens about the safety measures they should take. More will be reported as the story develops. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry.


	22. Point of no Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It had occurred, it had happened, and could never in his life be unhappened, never removed, a huge deadly black scar lasting forever.”   
> ― Iris Murdoch, The Green Knight
> 
> Chan receives an invitation from Woojin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of things have been happening and I didn’t really feel like posting, however I made a promise, so here is this week’s chapter. We only have two more to go plus the epilogue! I never thought I’d get this far.
> 
> Please consider donating to my [ko-fi](%E2%80%9C) if you like my work, and follow me on social media on the end notes.

Chan remembered the first time he had claimed blood with his hands very clearly. It had been an accident. The case was one of his firsts with Woojin and it was supposed to be a simple serial robbery. The fugitive seemed harmless at first and Chan had his powers while Woojin was an excellent fighter, almost undefeatable once he had formed a mental link with you. 

Which is why both were surprised when they couldn’t avoid the metal blade that pierced through Woojin’s stomach the moment he had pinned the robber down. It had been a rash decision by the robber, and Woojin had only seen the thought flash in his mind for a few seconds. Chan didn’t quite remember what happened after. His memories were a blur of light, blood and crushing bones and they had had to call someone to clean his mess. He remembered every single part of Jisung’s death, though.

When he walked into his apartment, Chan regarded the envelope on the kitchen counter with a blank expression. He knew who it was from, and could imagine what the contents were almost perfectly; it made him want to laugh. Had the envelope been left there after his fight with Jisung? Or had Woojin known all along what he would do and left it there earlier? Chan felt toyed with. He had boasted about hunting Woojin down, but instead he had fallen in his game of provocation and given him the tools to tick him off.

Woojin had pushed him to a limit Chan had tried so hard not to cross, but he had now. There was no going back from getting blood on his hands. Woojin knew this as well, which is why he had packed the address in such a neat envelope and left it in Chan’s counter; it was an invitation to the final showdown. He would go, naturally. Woojin had turned his allies against him and Chan had confronted enough traitors to know that the only way to see the end of the fight was to accept the invitation.

Before he had made the conscious decision, his hand found his way into his pocket and took out his cellphone. He needed a drink. He needed to clear his mind before going to confront the person he had been waiting for for more than a year. So he dialed Bambam’s number and pushed everything that had happened in the last months to the back of his mind.

“Hyung, let’s go for a drink, my treat.” He proposed, knowing the other wouldn’t say no to free drinks from the Bang Chan himself.

He washed his face and tended to the injuries left by Jisung in a hurry, barely bothering to change into clothes that weren’t covered in dirt, sweat and blood. Just for a moment he would pretend none of the things from the past few months had happened. And then he would go to Woojin and finish what he should have when they first separated.

When he arrived to the bar they liked to frequent, Bambam was already there, saving him a seat. Chan placed a hand on his back as a greeting and sat down next to him, immediately ordering a drink for himself. Bambam downed what was left of his drink before turning towards him.

“Hope you don’t mind I started without you,” he said with a cheeky smile, and Chan shook his head.

“It’s okay,” Chan assured him. He took the glass the bartender offered him and gave it a long sip under the scrutinizing look of his friend.

“You were in a fight.” Bambam stated, not leaving much place for excuses. “You know the boss is starting to suspect you might be in some kind of shady business, right?” He signaled for another drink.

“I haven’t been very secretive about my investigations into the Eye of Providence, have I?” Chan sighed, drinking some more.

“That’s what you’ve been doing?” Bambam raised an eyebrow, giving a sip to his own glass. “Is Woojin the one behind all of this, then?”

“Yes, pretty much.” Chan sighed, remembering the letter in the kitchen. “I decided to keep it unofficial because we don’t need more reasons for the public to hate superhero companies.” Bambam gave him a look that told him he knew that wasn’t all, but decided not to pry.

“Right, it’s been rough these days.” Bambam nodded. “Between the Eye of Providence revealing classified information and the rumors about SM, the public is going crazy. The boss has been sending a few of the minor supers to control the protests, in collaboration with other companies, but it’s looking ugly.”

“Maybe I should have told the boss about my investigation, could have dealt with it sooner.” Chan mused, downing the rest of his glass and asking for another one.

“Maybe,” Bambam agreed. “He’s not gonna like that you kept secrets from him. But your words lead me to think you already solved it?”

“Not yet.” Chan grabbed his new glass. “But soon, don’t worry about it. Things will go back to what they were before soon enough.”

* * *

It was like snapping out of a daydream. Like when he would space out because he was tired from having visions and Jisung would softly bring him back. Except this time there was no Jisung, just soft sunlight peeking through the window of his living room, warming up his body again.

Minho’s body felt heavy and numb; his legs screamed in pain from holding his weight for so many hours and his arms had gotten stiff around Jisung’s body. When he blinked and looked through the window, Minho could feel the stiffness of the tear stains on his face. 

He brought his hand up to wipe at them, feeling his skin itch. Instead, he smeared blood on his cheek. There was so much blood all over the floor, staining his clothes, and none of it was his. Minho wished it was his. He wished he could just stop and go back, stop Jisung from leaving the house.

He felt frozen, like there was nothing else to do, like his life had ended the moment he had opened the door to Chan. Minho knew he needed to move, though. He needed to do something even if he felt like lying down on the floor and waiting. But even knowing that he needed to act, it felt like he had forgotten how to.

It took a while of just staring at the window until he garnered the strength to reach for his cellphone. His mind was blank and the first person he could think of calling was Changbin. Changbin who was the oldest after him. Changbin who had almost lost Jeongin and had confronted Chan for it. So he called his workplace and waited. The phone rang twice before someone picked up and he was greeted by the voice of a man who sounded old and tired.

“Good morning, this is Kim’s Car Service, how may I help you?” Minho sighed, only then noticing he had been holding his breath.

“Is Lee Jongmin there? I’m a friend of his, I really need to talk to him.” Minho explained. His voice felt foreign to him, almost like the rest of his body.

“Give me a second.” The line went silent for a moment, and then he heard some faint shuffling as the phone changed hands.

“Hello?” Changbin’s voice came out from the speaker, confusion laced in his voice.

“Bin-ah,” Minho felt his own voice break, tears threatening to spill again.

“Hyung? Minho-hyung? What’s wrong?” Changbin’s voice raised an octave as he asked frantically.

“He’s dead… He’s dead.” Minho cried, and he finally lowered his gaze, looking at Jisung after all that time. “They took him away from me,” he sobbed, words coming out of his mouth slurred.

“Hyung, wait, breathe for a moment.” Changbin tried to calm him in an attempt to understand better what he was talking about. “Who is dead? What are you talking about?”

“Sungie,” Minho whispered, trying to swallow his tears as he placed his cellphone between his cheek and his shoulder so he could card his fingers through Jisung’s blood-soaked hair. “Jisung is dead.”

* * *

Woojin was calmly sitting at his desk, drinking a fresh cup of coffee as he went over the last bits of information they had gathered on the companies they were planning to expose. There were a few minor companies, but among them was a big fish: SM. SM was a giant among superhero companies, being not only an old one but also a revolutionary enterprise.

It was also the most corrupted. Woojin had been hunting them down for sometime. He had invested even more time in them that he had invested in JYP, because even if he hated his ex-company, he knew SM was a bigger threat. He felt giddy about their discoveries, excited even. A lot of time had been lost trying to get rid of Chan and his little army already, but at least it would all be over soon, and he would be able to move on with his plan.

Just as he was going to ask one of his minions to start preparations to publish what was going to be their biggest and most important discovery, Changbin came barging into the room. He couldn’t quite remember giving him the address to the hideout. Woojin made a mental note to check who had spilled the secret so they could receive adequate punishment. For now, he would humour the spy.

“How could you do that?” Changbin spat. The light reflected on the tear stains on his face. It was quite a sight.

“Do  _ what,  _ exactly?” Woojin tilted his head, mildly confused.

“Don’t fucking play with me Woojin, you know Jisung is dead! You killed him!” Changbin reduced the space between them in just a few steps. 

“Oh.” Woojin’s mouth opened in a perfect circle, realization downing on him. “I didn’t kill him.”

“What?” Changbin was taken aback by the certainty which with Woojin spoke.

“I didn’t kill him, Chan did,” Woojin repeated, taking a sip from his coffee.

“But you manipulated him to go to his dead, you forced him-“

“And you sold him out to me.” Woojin grinned. “The day when you called me and told me Chan was training someone, do you remember? Or do you suddenly have selective memory about your own sins?”

Changbin took a step back, covering his mouth. Woojin was right. He had been so desperate about knowing more, about finding a way to claim revenge for Jeongin because the guilt was eating him alive. He had betrayed Jisung and Minho.

“I still think we have a different concept of manipulation.” Woojin’s eyes gleamed. “What is my power, Changbin?”

“Your power? Is this a joke?” Changbin stuttered. Woojin’s words made him feel confused, but the oldest looked serious, and Changbin felt compelled to answer. “You can know everything about someone by looking into their eyes,” Changbin explained, and Woojin nodded in agreement, “and you can control them to do the things you want.” Woojin scoffed.

“I can do no such thing.” He smiled, bemused. “I can’t force someone to do something more than you can, I’m not Jinx. Where did you hear I could do that?” Changbin stared at him in confusion, and Woojin observed as his eyes widened in understanding.

“Chan-hyung,” Changbin whispered.

“Chan, of course, he’s always been very convincing.” Woojin nodded. “I did negotiate with Jisung so that he would fight Chan in my place, because I needed to provoke him a little more so he would come find me.”

“Why? Why are you doing all of this?” Changbin suddenly felt tired. Chan had been lying to them, there was no denying that now.

“I don’t know what Chan told you about my reason for leaving JYP, but what happened was that they tried to use my powers to manipulate elections and trials.” Woojin sighs, pushing aside the coffee cup that has gone cold now. “I didn’t want to, but the more I looked into things, the worse they became.

“There’s one particular company, SM, that’s planning something really bad,” Woojin looked through his papers and showed Changbin one of them. “You probably heard the claims they make in the news, that they’re going to make it possible for everyone to have a power.”

“But that’s impossible, isn’t it?” Changbin read the paper, trying to comprehend what it all meant.

“They found the way to make it possible,” Woojin sighed. “Apparently, supers have a special type of energy, and used correctly, it can become a great creative or destructive power, they’re planning to do something bad with it.”

“Then Chan…?”

“Chan is a petty kid who never matured and wants to take revenge on me, he must be taken care of.” Woojin huffed, exasperated just from thinking about it. “This is what I told the others, this is why they agreed to fight Chan.”

“This is not the right way to do things, Woojin.” Changbin felt overwhelmed by everything he had learned in just a few minutes, it felt like his head was going to blow up at any moment.

“After all he’s done, are you still going to defend him?” Woojin raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Changbin admitted.

“Then I advice you you don’t get in the middle of the fight.” Woojin smiled.

_ “Sir, Bang Chan is here. _ ” A voice spoke from the intercom Woojin had next to him, and right after, a knock was heard on the door.


	23. Emptiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “How do you get so empty? he wondered. Who takes it out of you?”   
> ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
> 
> Woojin and Chan fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had finals last week and so I didn’t get to finish the chapter in time but here it is! A couple of days overdue, but better late than ever right? This Sunday, if everything goes right, I will finish this story. I am honestly so, so excited, you have no idea!
> 
> Remember to leave kudos and comments~ I also opened a [ko-fi](%E2%80%9C) so consider leaving a donation if you enjoy what I do c:

Chan walked into the room as soon as he heard a voice welcoming him in. There was no one but Woojin, sitting behind his desk with a tense smile on his face. Chan could’ve sworn he had heard him speaking with someone before he knocked, but maybe he had been in a phone call of sorts. 

“So you’re finally here,” Woojin began, hands clasped together on top of the desk. “Took you long enough.”

“I’d say your invitation was a little late, frantically.” Chan replied, closing the door behind him. 

“You’re mad that you couldn’t find me by yourself.” Woojin chuckled. “You don’t like that I had to invite you over.”

“I’d deny it but what’s the use of hiding it when you can see right in my eyes.” Chan shrugged, approaching Woojin’s desk.

“Please, don’t attribute everything to my ability,” Woojin scoffed, leaning back on his chair. “I know you well enough, I would have known you were pissed even without my ability.”

Chan didn’t answer, instead, he sort of went around the room, just looking. Woojin had always been some kind of perfectionist, but now seeing him in this weird, big office, it was clear that it had gotten out of his hands. It was like meeting with some pampered rich heir of a large corporation who had asked for a stupidly big office that he kept empty like the whole room was a decoration itself. It was stupid.

“So I guess it is today right? The day we finish our unsolved business.” Woojin continued, following Chan with his eyes attentively. 

“You say that like you weren’t the one to summon me over.” Chan muttered, finally standing in front of Woojin’s desk.

“Because I knew you weren’t going to find me by yourself.” Woojin shrugged. “You might be powerful but I think it’s fair to say I took all of the brains after our divorce.”

“Don’t refer to it like that.” Chan growled.

“What?” Woojin raised an eyebrow. “Do you hate me that much that you don’t even want to remember the past we shared together?”

“Shut up Woojin.” Chan warned him, growing closer.

“The only thing I regret a little is not kissing you when we parted ways a year ago,” Woojin shakes his head. “Maybe then I could have convinced you to join me.”

Chan snapped in a millisecond, eyes turning white as he shoot a ray of light at Woojin’s head. 

* * *

“Okay, slowly, slowly.” The nurse instructed as he helped Hyunjin move his right leg. 

As soon as he had been able to manage pain, he had started rehabilitation. There were days where he didn’t want to do it, it was just painful, but the promise he had made to Seungmin and the thoughts of joining his friends again kept him going. 

At first he had lamented himself a lot. He regretted his choices a lot and reprimanded himself about them daily when no one was watching. But as he started to get better, he began leaving those thoughts behind him. It was tiring, sitting on bed all day, but he was never going to leave that hospital bed unless he actually started working for it.

“Well done!” The nurse congratulated him once the leg was back on the bed.

Hyunjin smiled. This was such a small thing compared to before when he didn’t have almost every limb broken; it sure gave him a new perspective of things.

“May we come in?” Said a familiar voice from outside the room. Hyunjin turned just enough to see Felix and Seungmin waiting patiently in the door.

“Of course, come in.” The nurse welcomed them cheerfully as he finished arranging Hyunjin on the bed. “We just finished with his afternoon therapy.

“Thank you,” Seungmin said with a smile as they both made their way next to Hyunjin’s bed.

The nurse left soon after, reminding Hyunjin that he would be back for his medicines and all that. The silence that followed was comfortable and welcomed as they arranged themselves.

“How are you feeling today?” Seungmin asked.

There was an obvious fondness in his voice that had become usual whenever they visited. Felix had felt a little awkward at first. It had been only him and Hyunjin for a long time and welcoming a sort of ‘third’ into their friendship was strange to him. Plus, he knew that Seungmin had been a spy for Woojin. When Hyunjin first told him, Felix had been against the whole thing.

However, Seungmin slowly proved to him that he was not on Woojin’s side now and he hadn’t been for a long time. Plus, truth be told, Hyunjin had also betrayed the team himself; it would be hypocritical of Felix to not be welcoming of Seungmin. The way they looked at each other had quickly convinced him though, and soon he found himself becoming a more than willing third wheel.

“I’m alright, therapy sucks, as always.” Hyunjin chuckled, grateful to have his friends with him. It made things way more bearable.

“Of course it does.” Felix huffed. “You’re barely able to stay still normally, I can imagine this is pure torture.”

“Oh, shut up.” Hyunjin chuckled. “Why did you come today?”

“You say that as if we don’t come nearly every day.” Seungmin chuckled. “Are you being a good patient?”

“I am  _ always _ a good patient.” Hyunjin grumbled, blushing slightly. “The nurses are the ones being difficult…”

Felix accidentally snorted and prompted Hyunjin to start complaining and demanding them to believe him. They had to concede when he started to raise his voice and a nurse gave them a warning look. Then they settled into a calm chat. Seungmin asked again when he was going to be discharged.

“It’s still uncertain, but they said I’m recovering quite quickly.” Hyunjin explained. He looked brighter than he had since he had been put in bed, and it made both Seungmin and Felix feel better.

“Let’s hope it’s soon, then.” Felix nodded.

* * *

“You are as strong and impulsive as ever.” Woojin panted, spitting a bit of blood on the floor.

“You’ve gotten a little slow.” Chan mocked, throwing himself forward to punch Woojin.

Woojin moved to the side and grabbed Chan by the arm, using his weight to throw him forward and evading his hit cleanly. Chan was too ambitious and too obsessed with tradition. They were fighting just like they had practiced in the past: with no powers, just Chan trying to overcome Woojin.

He had always been better than Chan at hand-to-hand combat, because the super relied too much in his powers to get him out of dangerous situations. Of course, Woojin relied on his powers to predict the next movements. But his body was far more trained than that of Chan’s.

Chan sent a controlled blast his way. Woojin moved away but it still managed to graze his arm, burning through his shirt. He winced and Chan used the opportunity to try and overpower him, quickly trapping his head in a strong lock. Woojin grabbed onto his arm and threw all of his weight over, landing on Chan before rolling off of him.

“You haven’t changed at all, huh?” Woojin winced, grabbing his neck and standing up. 

“You changed too much.” Chan complained, mirroring him as he stood up.

“That is how it works Chan, people change.” Woojin scoffed. “You’re the only one trapped in the past.” He contemplated Chan for a moment. “Maybe I am too, a little.”

“Yes, weren’t you the one looking for me?” Chan huffed, approaching Woojin carefully.

“Only because I wanted to try to convince you to come with me once again,” Woojin explained. “It was hard for me to leave you, you know? I did love you.”

Chan growled and once again went after Woojin, kicking him on the chest. Woojin grabbed onto his leg and pulled him apart, making him fall to the floor. Chan rolled away but as he tried to stand up Woojin wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed hard. Chan tried to pull his arms away, but Woojin was too strong.

“As much as my feelings for you mean…” Woojin sighed. “You know only one of us can walk away from this, right?”

* * *

Jeongin had been transferred to a normal hospital room almost a day ago, when he had woken up. He hadn’t slept at all since then. He did feel tired, exhausted even, from the fight; but he couldn’t sleep, even when everything was dark all the time. He heard the nurse come and sat there in silence, head pointed to nowhere. 

“I’m going to change your bandages, alright? Stay still.” She said. Her voice and hands were gentle, Jeogin could tell it was the same person who had changed his bandages before.

He had not spoken once since they had first changed his bandages. He didn’t speak this time either. The nurse took off his bandages and then tilted his chin upwards, moving his head softly from side to side to examine the burns before applying the medicine.

“I’m going to apply the eye drops.” She informed, holding his chin tightly. Jeongin felt nothing. “There we go. Now the ointment.”

This time, Jeongin felt a little, just the slightest touch, on the areas further away from his eyes. He stayed still until the nurse finished and then she started bandaging his eyes again. Jeongin didn’t like feeling the pressure around his head but in the end it made no difference, he could no longer see.

The nurse left after reminding him to not touch his injuries and to try to rest a little, since resting would help his body recover faster. Jeongin waited until he couldn’t hear her anymore before he began crying. It wasn’t crying, really. His eyes had been so badly damaged that he couldn’t produce tears anymore; he couldn’t even feel a great deal of his face.

He just sat there, hugging himself and shaking as he tried to keep his sobs down. There was something weird about crying with no tears. It almost didn’t feel real. His face probably looked horrible as well. How would he face his friends after he got out of the hospital? How would he continue with his life at all? And despite all, what hurt the most was that Changbin wasn’t there with him at that moment, consoling him.

“Hyung…” He whispered, and continued to cry.

* * *

Woojin had Chan by the neck. They were both breathing heavily and exhausted, but Woojin’s grip was still strong and determined. Chan tried to free himself, but it was useless, he would never be physically stronger, so he did the next best thing. He grabbed Woojin’s arms tightly and burned them. Woojin pushed him away, startled by the pain, and Chan used the chance to move away.

“Cheating asshole.” Woojin cursed, arms screaming in pain.

“Like you haven’t been using your powers all the time.” Chan scoffed. “If you didn’t have those abilities, you would be dead by now.”

“Would I?” Woojin raised an eyebrow. “After all aren’t I the one who knows you best? I knew you’d come looking for me if I wrote those words.”

Chan remained silent, staring Woojin down. He was starting to get tired from this. Woojin was strong, yes, but he wasn’t more powerful than Chan, and yet it was so difficult to defeat him. Maybe it was Chan’s pride getting in the way, wanting to beat him after losing to him for years. 

Woojin ran over to him and kicked him on the chest. Chan blocked the kick and threw a punch back, but Woojin grabbed him and threw him on the floor with dexterity. He pressed one of Chan’s arms with his legs and kept the other at bay with his hands, holding him tightly in place.

“Do you remember what I said when I met you?” Woojin panted, doing his best to hold Chan down, who looked just as tired. “You are made of starts.”

Woojin laughed for a moment before his face contorted in pain as Chan’s arm began to burn under his grip. He pulled back and lost his balance, falling to the side. And before long, Chan was on top of him, the blade of light on his arm deep in his stomach. Woojin gaped. The pain was so unbearable that he couldn’t scream, couldn’t react.

“Stop talking about the ‘good old times’, traitor.” Chan grunted as he held Woojin down. Blood getting all over him.

“You’re so cruel.” Woojin wheezed, trying to control his breath. “You did all those things to your allies, I can only imagine what you’re going to do to me.

“But you wouldn’t kill me, would you?” Woojin smiled. Chan just stared at him. “You wouldn’t be able to live in a world without me.”

Woojin looked into Chan’s eyes, tried to see something there, some of the light he had seen when they had met. Instead, he was met with emptiness. Woojin couldn’t help but laugh, for once, he was wrong. It wasn’t that the had known when looking at Chan’s eyes before, that the other didn’t feel anything anymore, but more like he had been trying to ignore it. He had been hopeful.

“I was wrong, you’re not made of stars.” Woojin coughed. “You were consumed by them.” 

And then, Chan slit his throat.

“Hyung.”

Chan turned around quickly, standing up and taking a fighting stance. He relaxed almost immediately when he noticed that the one before him was none other than Changbin. He smiled.

“Changbin, how long have you been he-“

“What have you done?”


	24. The King Must Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Little by little, the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him.”   
> ― Jennifer Donnelly, Revolution
> 
> Changbin learns the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so, so genuinely sorry that this chapter is so late. I was really, really nervous about writing it and finishing it was a struggle. I just hope it lives to everyone’s expectations :C
> 
> As always, don’t forget to leave comments and kudos if you liked it!

When Minho came to again, he realized he was alone. He could vaguely remember calling Changbin and telling him about Jisung, but that was about it. Jisung. His body felt heavy and everything around him was covered in dry blood. Even with him there, it didn’t feel real to Minho. Every time he closed his eyes he felt like Jisung would move and hug him back, tell him everything was okay, that it was a bad vision and that they could change it. But he never moved.

Minho’s head throbbed with pain from dehydration and hurt. He had run out of tears at some point after calling Changbin, but every time he closed his eyes it felt like he could start again. It had been maybe a couple of hours since his call with Changbin, but he was still alone. Maybe Changbin was in shock, maybe he had gone looking for revenge; whatever it was, Minho would prefer it if he were there with him.

Since it was clear Changbin was not going to help him, Minho resolved to call someone else. What else could he do? His thoughts were muddy with pain and his chest was heavy with loss and he just wanted that to end. But he couldn’t stop holding onto Jisung, he couldn’t end it himself, so he called Seungmin.

“Minnie…” He breathed into the phone. He could hear Seungmin’s tone rising, asking him if he was okay. “Please come to my house, I need help.”

* * *

Chan stared at Changbin as his smile slowly banished. So Changbin had been there long enough, yet he hadn’t intervened. Had he been there since the start? How much had he heard and watched of their conversation and their fight? Chan didn’t want anyone to know about his  _ past  _ with Woojin. It was something he had worked hard to bury, even in his own memories.

Changbin couldn’t stop staring at Chan either. There was so much blood, and his eyes kept wandering every few seconds towards Woojin. Chan was covered in bruises and bloodstains and for a split second Changbin wondered if he had looked like this after murdering Jisung. Had Jisung tried to fight back? Had any of the three Chan had fought with begged for their lives?

They didn’t know anything about what had actually happened, Changbin realized. They had all blindly followed Chan into a suicidal mission while he had kept every important detail for himself and lied to their faces. He had lied about Woojin’s powers and about his past, and who knew what else. 

“How long have you been here, Changbin?” Chan asked again. As he stood up, he wiped off the blood on his pants. 

He looked so nonchalant that Changbin couldn’t help but shiver. Changbin could perfectly remember Woojin’s last words, which resonated in his head with everything else they had discussed before about Chan.  _ You were not made of stars, you were consumed by them _ . Changbin remembered his days as a trainee for JYP. He too had been fascinated by Chan, the strongest hero prospect in the company. Had all of that been a lie?

“Since the beginning.” Changbin answered after thinking for a moment. “I’ve been here since before you arrived.”

“Really?” Chan tilted his head. There was something in his eyes that told Changbin he was in the thin line between ally and foe. “Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you help?”

“I don’t know.” It was the truth. At first, Changbin had been shocked from hearing Chan had arrived, but then he had listened in to their conversation and it just became obvious he couldn’t just show himself. 

“Always running away, Changbin, like before.” Chan laughed, but it was an empty laugh, bitter. “You were really admired for your powers, and even got that nickname, “The Chimera”. But you never quite filled those shoes.”

“Why are you being like this, right now?” Changbin frowned. His body tensed up as he took a step back, paying close attention to Chan’s expressions.

“Sorry, as you can see, I’m quite exhausted right now.” Chan gestured towards Woojin’s body, shrugging. “It was a tough fight, and you weren’t of much help,  _ ally _ .” 

“Why did you kill him?” Changbin asked before he could even think the question through. Chan looked at him for a moment before nodding.

“He was too dangerous to be locked up.” Chan shrugged. “He could have gotten out of prison very easily, slithering away like the snake he was.” Chan laughed, sending a chill down Changbin’s spine. “Not the kind of criminal you should give a second chance. It was necessary.”

“Was it necessary to kill Jisung too?”

* * *

Seungmin and Felix had left without telling Hyunjin, assuring him everything was fine and that Minho just needed a little help with something. In truth, Seungmin had had to hold Felix back to stop him from yelling at the taxi driver to go faster. Minho’s words were the only thing bouncing in Seungmin’s mind. He hoped them to be a lie. He didn’t know what he would do otherwise. And through it all he couldn’t help the selfish part of himself reminding him that he had abandoned Woojin before Jisung’s fight, that it wasn’t entirely his fault.

Minho had warned them through the call, but no warning could have prepared them for the sight. They stormed through the unlocked door and stumbled upon the scene. Felix immediately crumbled down, reaching for Jisung but too afraid to touch him, too scared of damaging him more, as if it were possible.

Woojin’s words repeated in Seungmin’s mind. It truly had been so cruel for himself to come to care for the enemy, for the people that had been prepared like a sacrifice to a wicked ceremony. Seungmin was selfish, because he had intruded them with the purpose of destroying them, and now he wanted to beg for forgiveness because he had come to  _ care _ . But it was too late.

“Hyung…” Seungmin knelt down to hold Felix and support him. Trying to shield him away from the sight. “What happened here?” His voice shook, but he didn’t have the right to cry.

Minho looked at him, but he was clearly out of it, and with Felix clinging to his shoulder and crying, it was all becoming too much. The more he tried not to look at Jisung, the more he took in. Whatever Chan had done to him, it had been excessive, like he hadn’t held back despite knowing Jisung could never be a match for him. None of them had been strong enough to fight the war between Woojin and Chan; they had been used and manipulated so blatantly, but only now did it seem obvious.

“I’m going to call the police.” Seungmin warned when it became clear that Minho was unable to move on his own. He fished out his phone and dialed the number in a hurry, trying to keep his voice calm enough. An officer answered after a few tones and Seungmin tried to collect himself.

“My...” The words got stuck in his throat. Did he have the right to call Jisung a friend? It certainly didn’t feel like that, not anymore. “A person I know was... killed, please come.” His voice broke down towards the end, but he barely had time to compose himself as the police started asking more questions.

Felix held tighter onto him as he answered the questions and explained the situation to the best of his ability, even if he knew nothing about what had happened. He felt like he didn’t need that much information to comprehend, anyway. What else was there to it but the death of an innocent person to the hands of a revenge thirsty monster?  _ Don’t forget you contributed to this _ , his mind whispered. He didn’t think he could ever truly forget something like that.

* * *

Chan stared at Changbin in silence. The question had caught him off-guard and he had tried to brush it off first, thinking Changbin wasn’t serious, but Changbin’s stance didn’t change. Minho had probably told him about Jisung’s death, maybe that explained why Changbin had been at Woojin’s headquarters in the first place. 

“Was Jisung’s death necessary?” Changbin repeated, not willing to let it go. Chan frowned.

“Sacrifices have to be made sometimes.” Chan replied.

Changbin scoffed. Chan’s tone had been so nonchalant that he couldn’t believe he was talking to the same person that had gone on and on about justice and how they were doing the right thing. Changbin had admired him so much back when they had been trainees, and even back when Chan had reached out to him for the first time. However, all the glow that Chan had possessed at some point was gone.

“Jisung was a sacrifice?” Changbin raised his voice. “Was Jeongin a sacrifice too? Was Hyunjin?” 

“All of them betrayed me.” Chan growled. “I may have used too much force but I was just defending myself.”

“So you knew.” Changbin laughed, humorless. He rubbed his face with both hands and sighed.

“What do you mean I knew?” Chan looked taken aback for once, confused.

“Betrayal is a choice, hyung.” Changbin explained. “You knew Woojin’s power was not actual mind control because you knew they were choosing to change sides, and you lied to us.” He shook his head, trying to come to terms with the revelation. “Why did you lie? If you had told us, we could have worked it out with them, we could have talked to them and changed their opinion again. They were not ‘hypnotized’.”

Chan remained quiet, taking Changbin’s words in. Even when he had stopped talking, Chan didn’t reply, instead, he fixed Changbin with an angry stare, like he had revealed something he shouldn’t have. And as Changbin looked Chan in the eye, a realization came to him, the truth behind his own words and behind Chan’s actions.

“You needed an excuse...” Changbin muttered.

“Come on Binnie, what are you on about?” Chan chuckled, approaching him with an extended hand, but Changbin stepped back. Chan closed his hand and lowered it.

“You needed a-an excuse so we wouldn’t suspect you about beating Hyunjin...” Changbin’s eyes widened. “Why did you use so much force then? Why didn’t you stop?! Did you think about how much pain Hyunjin will have for the rest of his life? Did you know you’ve left Jeongin completely blind? Did you think about Minho when you ended Jisung’s life?!” Changbin was breathing hard by this point, his thoughts racing in his head. “Did you ever care about us? Did you even know what Woojin’s plan was-“

“No.” Chan answered. His eyes had started glowing. He still looked exhausted from the fight but he was looking at Changbin like he had become an enemy. Had he looked at the others like this while fighting them?

* * *

Seungmin had taken Felix outside so he would stop looking at Felix and carefully approached Minho. He wanted to help him stand up and console him. It hurt to see him cling to Jisung like that, and he wondered how long had he waited before calling him, if he had called someone before him. Still, Seungmin knew he couldn’t move him or he would be contaminating the scene even more than it probably already was.

“Hyung, just wait for a moment, the police will arrive soon.” Seungmin told him, trying to be as comforting as possible. 

Minho only nodded at him. He looked incredibly tired and like he had been crying for probably hours. Had he moved at all? How long had he been holding onto Jisung? Seungmin didn’t know what else to do but wait for the police, and it made him feel impotent. He looked around, observing how the house was in perfect order aside from the blood on the floor. Jisung’s body was covered in bruises and cuts, so it was obvious the fight couldn’t have happened there. Just what had happened to him?

“Hyung, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want, if you prefer to wait for the police...” Seungmin explained slowly. “But what happened?”

Minho looked at him and then back at Jisung. His arms were still supporting him, almost like he had only fallen asleep or passed out, and Seungmin wished Minho had called before, that they had arrived before, so he could have saved him the hours of suffering he had probably gone through alone. Surprisingly, Minho began explaining.

“Sungie was supposed to be training with Chan.” Minho murmured. His voice was hoarse and Seungmin knew he must not have drunk anything in a while. “He had told me he would be arriving later than planned ‘cause something had come up, I didn’t think...” He trailed off at the end as his voice broke down, but there were no tears left to cry in him. “Sorry...” He muttered, voice wavering in pain.

“No, no, don’t apologize, it’s okay.” Seungmin reached out to him but ended up retracting his hand, scared both of disturbing the scene and Minho who was still holding onto Jisung.

“Chan brought him to me, he delivered Jisung right up to our doorstep.” Minho took a shaky, deep breath, eyes absentmindedly focused on the door, where Felix was leaning in, listening. “Sungie was already gone when Chan brought him, and then Chan left after apologizing.” Seungmin took a deep breath and bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying when he heard Felix start to sob again. He needed to hold it in.

“Did you call anyone else?” The only other option was Changbin, really. Hyunjin and Jeongin were still in the hospital, but Changbin wasn’t there, so Seungmin couldn’t be sure.

“I called Binnie but...” Minho sighed. “When it became clear he wasn’t going to come, I thought of you.”

They heard the police siren before they saw the car park in front of the house. An ambulance arrived right after them. Everything was kind of a blur after that. They asked Seungmin and Felix to go outside to take their statements while they photographed the scene before taking Jisung away. Seungmin didn’t have the heart to look as Minho begged them to be careful, as he tried one last time to hold onto Jisung and keep him close. Seungmin and Felix hugged Minho all the way to the police station, wishing they could change everything that had happened, but knowing there was nothing they could do.

* * *

“What?” Changbin was taken aback by Chan’s reply.

“I didn’t know about Woojin’s plan and I didn’t care about it, either.” Chan explained. “I still am not certain what it was all about, but I did what needed to be done. I stopped him.”

“You’re crazy.” Changbin mumbled, eyes wide. “All the things you said, about how Woojin’s intentions were mislead and how his plans weren’t the right thing to do...?”

“I lied.” Chan shrugged. “I did learn a bit about it through our research while we were pursuing him, but I don’t know the full extent of it.”

“Then why?!” Changbin yelled. “Why did you get everyone involved?”

“I wasn’t planning to, at first. I only needed you.” Chan admitted. “You know how to move around the darkest circles of the country and how to find someone, or how to disappear.”

“So you went for a bunch of untrained kids to help you in a life or death mission?” Changbin cackled, still in disbelief.

“I didn’t go for them, they came to me.” Chan shook his head. “They were all like a bunch of abandoned puppies, excited about the prospect of being picked by a new owner.”

Changbin clenched his jaw at that statement. All this time, Chan had lied to them, manipulating them into fighting like soldiers for a non-existent cause. And despite everything that had happened, he still had the guts to refer to them as animals. Changbin felt furious, so much so, that he didn’t notice his own body beginning to change.

“So you don’t care about the fact that SM is planning to give everyone powers in order to manipulate that energy to do something bad?” Changbin asked, jaw tense with anger.

“Please Changbin, that’s not possible and you know it.” Chan mocked him. “Whatever Woojin told you, it’s all a lie. I did what was necessary to restore order.” 

Changbin’s body grew and morphed. His arms elongated and his hands transformed into sharp claws. His back widened and his face became unrecognizable as it adopted features akin to a lion. Horns began to form on his head and wings to sprout from his back, but he barely gave them time as he approached Chan with a goal set in mind. He couldn’t allow him to leave that place alive.

“You’re not a protector of people, you’re not a hero.” Changbin growled, but it almost sounded like several people speaking in unison.

Chan started backing up, panic visible in his features. Everyone had heard about the Chimera at least once, but no one had really seen Changbin transform, especially not when angry. In just seconds, he was already bigger than Chan and his body was covered in scales that seemed to be made of steel. He moved towards Chan without hesitation, and it was obvious he wasn’t going to let him go without a fight at least.

Feeling himself cornered, Chan quickly blasted a ball of light towards Changbin. It burnt his shirt a little but then sizzled and withered once it got to his skin. Chan didn’t even have a chance to run as Changbin grabbed his arm with force and pulled him close, making Chan scream as the bones in his left arm were crushed painfully.

“You’ll pay for everything you’ve done.” Changbin declared, and as quickly as that his claws dug into Chan’s chest and everything exploded in light.

Chan stumbled back and fell on the floor as he bled out. His blood was bright and hot, like liquid fire, and Changbin watched it for a long time until the it stopped glowing. Chan was dead, and he had killed him. He kneeled on the floor in pain as his body came back to normal, horns, wings and claws retracting back into his skin and body shrinking to his normal size. It was so, so painful.

He stayed there for a moment, breathing deeply, before he began gathering all of Woojin’s documents as fast as he could. Changbin had killed Chan, but Woojin was right: Chan was nothing but a pawn in the grand scheme of things, and the true enemy was out there manipulating the masses. Things were far from over. As he finished gathering everything that seemed important, Changbin dialed the police using Woojin’s phone.

“I would like to make an anonymous report.” He began. “Superhero Nova is dead, and so is ex-superhero Whisper.” He hung up right after giving them the address and destroyed the phone.

There was not enough time for him to erase all the tracks he had left, but Chan had been right about one thing: he was good at finding people but he was also good at disappearing, and it was time for him to disappear from the radar once again. He just hoped Jeongin wouldn’t hate him too much for it. Changbin spared one last glance at the scene, knowing that what had happened there was going to change his life forever. And then he left.

* * *

_ “The bodies of superhero Nova and ex-superhero Whisper were found today at a building in Gangwon Province after an anonymous report was made to the police. Ex-superhero Whisper went missing almost two years ago and from the evidence gathered at the scene, it seems like he was behind The Eye of Providence. However, a lot of documents were missing from the scene and it is still impossible to determine what role he played in it. The events that lead to their deaths are still unclear, but the police are certain there was at least one other person at the scene that might be responsible for the crime. The identity of the criminal, however, remains unknown. One thing is certain: with the death of the strongest and most popular superhero, and his ex-partner being behind the organization trying to destroy superhero companies, it can no longer be denied that a new era for supers is starting.” _


	25. Epilogue: The Weight of Living, Pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “All that you desired, when you were a child  
> Was to be old, was to be old  
> Now that you are here, suddenly you fear  
> You've lost control (lost control)  
> Do you like the person you've become?”  
> — Bastille, The Weight of Living, Pt.2
> 
> A new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the ending of Versus. I came up with this fic idea more than a year ago, while watching Finding SKZ. A lot of things have happened since them, to Stray Kids and to me, and I thought of giving up on this fic a couple of times and not post it, but now I’m glad I didn’t. Thank you so much for doing this journey with me and reading until here, I am eternally grateful. I hope you like this epilogue and please, if you can do me one last favor, read the ending notes :) Enjoy!

**3 years later**

Jeongin took off his coat and gave it to the other assistant so she could hang it. Kyong was patiently waiting for him by the door, and as soon as Jeongin have him the signal, she approached him with his probing cane and the leash in her mouth. Jeongin grabbed them and patted her enthusiastically, chuckling slightly.

“Good girl, thank you.” Jeongin praised her as he extended his cane.

“I’m sorry I can’t give you a ride home today Jeongin.” Haneul, his coworker, said. She sounded genuinely apologetic, and Jeongin smiled reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, some hyungs are picking me up today.” He gave a slight bow in the direction of her voice before instructing Kyong to guide him to the exit. “See you next week.”

When Changbin disappeared, he had asked Seungmin to please live together with him and had started sending them money without saying much else. No one knew where Changbin was, and although Jeongin resented him for that, he had pulled himself together and made a life. He had gotten a sort of “part-time” job at a local veterinary thanks to his exceptional ability to communicate with animals. He helped keep them calm through the procedures and helped identify their ailments. 

Hyunjin and Felix had resumed their college studies and graduated already, and Seungmin had also completed an online business degree. Jeongin himself had begun studying the university online, and was doing pretty well. Hyunjin and Felix had continued living together, but they visited him and Seungmin often to make it easier for Jeongin. It was also a great excuse for Hyunjin to see Seungmin, who somehow hadn’t gotten tired of his corny attitude yet 2 years into their relationship.

Minho had been harder to keep in contact with, but they had managed. The first year without Jisung had been the hardest. He had withdrawn into a shell and wouldn’t let anyone near the house, which he had decided to keep despite what had happened (it was, after all, still a precious memory from his grandma and from Jisung). Approaching him had been nearly impossible, because his feelings were so strong that anyone who came close enough would end up feeling drained and in despair.

Still, they persisted, and eventually they got him to open up again. They would visit him all together and take him out of the house for some fresh air. It wasn’t ideal, and the lack of Jisung’s energy could be easily felt, but they were making it work. Minho didn’t look like he was in the brink of despair anymore and he had started inviting them over instead of having them looking for him. It was progress.

As he had told Haneul, Felix and Hyunjin were picking him up today and were waiting for him outside the veterinary. Kyong greeted them with a wagging tail and they began their way home. Jeongin didn’t like taking the bus by himself since he couldn’t see and he couldn’t rely on Kyong’s senses for long periods of time, but when he had his friends by his side, he felt safe.

Seungmin was already waiting for them at home, with the promise of delivery food waiting for them at the table. They chatted excitedly as they made their way to the apartment, but to their surprise, Seungmin seemed to be talking to someone. The door opened easily and as they came in, Jeongin could hear Felix and Hyunjin gasping in surprise, but he couldn’t understand what was happening.

“Wow, you’ve grown so much...” A distinctive voice said and Jeongin felt his heart stop for a second before it picked up again.

He dropped the probing cane and the leash and fumbled with his arms extended forward until he was embraced by a pair of firm arms. Jeongin reached up with his hands and traced the features of Changbin’s face with wonder. He couldn’t see him, but there was no doubt it was him. Immediately after confirming it, he began hitting Changbin wherever he could reach.

“Ow! Why are you hitting me?!” Changbin exclaimed, trying to protect himself from the punches and swats.

“You useless hyung!” Jeongin huffed. “How could you leave me in charge of Seungmin hyung of all people?!”

“Hey! What did I do wrong?” Seungmin intervened, clearly offended by the remark.

“How could you leave me? Right after I go blind as well!” It took them a moment to notice that Jeongin was actually sobbing. 

He couldn’t cry real tears anymore, as his tear glands had been damaged in the fight, but his voice was broken and it wavered, and so they realized that he was actually crying. Changbin stopped resisting and allowed Jeongin to let it all out before hugging him and patting his head. 

“Did you miss hyung?” Changbin asked, his voice sounded sincere, but Jeongin still seemed a little mad.

“As if! Go away old man!” Jeongin pushed him away for a few seconds before hugging him back. “Of course I missed you don’t be stupid.” He mumbled.

“Why are you suddenly back hyung?” Felix asked, putting into words what they were all wondering.

“I think it would be best if we sat down to talk about this...” Changbin suggested, looking at Seungmin, who only nodded.

They sat down to eat at their modest kitchen table. Only after they had eaten enough, did Changbin start explaining to them what he had been doing. After the fight with Chan, he had ran away with most of Woojin’s documents and had traced back his steps, discovering even more about SM’s plans. 

“They can ‘extract’ a special energy from people with abilities and use it to modify reality to a certain extent.” He explained to them. “I’m not entirely sure how they do it yet, but they’re planning to do it at a larger scale.”

“Is that the reason they were promoting all that thing about giving powers to everyone?” Hyunjin asked.

“Yes, exactly.” Changbin confirmed.

“I heard they already started with the trials...” Felix added, uncertain.

“They did, I don’t have much information about the results though, but it’s not looking good for us.” Changbin sighed. “Woojin couldn’t figure out what they wanted to do with the energy entirely, and I still haven’t figured it out either, but if they’re keeping it a secret then it can’t be anything good.” Silence fell upon them for a moment before Jeongin broke it.

“That doesn’t explain why you came back.” Jeongin said, head tilted down.

“That’s because-“ Changbin began but Jeongin didn’t let him finish.

“You want us to help you, right?” He asked. His voice had a strange tone to it, and Kyong whimpered by his side. 

“Yes.” Changbin sighed. “I understand if you don’t want to, last time something like this happened we all suffered terrible consequences...” Everyone looked down at the table, knowing well what he was referring to. “However, we wouldn’t start right away with anything, I would train you first, and this time I have actually managed to contact others who supported Woojin’s cause but were far more comprehensive. We wouldn’t be alone.”

“I’ll do it.” Jeongin immediately said, and everyone looked at him in surprise. “I’m probably the person you want the least in your team, but I’m not letting you disappear again.”

“I’ll do it too.” Seungmin replied next, giving a meaningful look to Changbin. Before the others had arrived, Changbin had revealed to him that he knew Seungmin had been Woojin’s spy. It felt like this was a good way to redeem himself.

“If my boyfriend is doing it, I am too!” Hyunjin declared without hesitation. Felix scoffed.

“Aren’t you supposed to try to stop him?” He asked, elbowing his best friend.

“Let’s be honest, Seungmin is the smartest of the two and I support his decisions.” Hyunjin shrugged and everyone laughed a little, feeling less tense.

“Guess I’ll have to do it too, can’t let you all run wild without me.” Felix said, the decision had been obvious from the first moment.

“What will we do first?” Jeongin asked.

“You have to wait until I find a place where we can train, I’ll contact you then.” Changbin explained. “Plus, I still have to find someone else.”

* * *

Minho changed the flowers next to Jisung’s urn and spent a little while just contemplating his picture. With the passing of the months, he had been visiting Jisung less obsessively and had begun taking care of himself.

In fact, he had not planned on going that day, but he was waiting for someone. As he waited, he thought back on everything the other four had been doing for them in the three years after Jisung’s death. Minho couldn’t help but wonder how they hadn’t given up with him, but he was grateful for that. It still hurt endlessly, but he had learned to live with the hurt and move forward.

“It took you long to get here.” Minho said out loud as he turned around, spotting Changbin at the end of the corridor.

“You knew I was coming?” Changbin asked, clearly surprised.

“Yes,” Minho nodded, “I don’t really block visions anymore.”

They stood in silence as Changbin paid his respects to Jisung. When he was done, Minho began to walk away and Changbin followed him in silence. They left the building and continued walking for a while in silence, until Changbin took the word again.

“I’m sorry for not being there when you called me.” Changbin said. Finally a weight less on his chest.

“It’s okay, you explained yourself to me in the vision.” Minho smiled a little. “For what it’s worth, I do forgive you, and I’m kind of grateful for what you did.”

Both him and Changbin knew he was referring to Chan’s death. Minho had always been against their missions and fights, always trying to step away from conflict. But Chan had crossed a line and even he wasn’t that forgiving. 

“I know what you’re going to ask me, and I know the others already said yes to you.” Minho explained.

“Wow, you really came prepared.” Changbin pointed out, making Minho chuckle.

“I’m really not holding back with the visions anymore.” Minho smiled. It was a painful smile. “I used to think of them as a curse, but if I had used them properly back then then maybe things would be different now.”

Changbin nodded in understanding. They walked in silence for a few more minutes before they stopped at a park and Minho turned to look back at him. His eyes were full of a determination Changbin has never seen on him before, and it sent shivers down his spine.

“I’ll ask you a question before I give you my answer.” Minho said, and Changbin nodded. “Can you live with the person you’ve become Changbin? Can you stand the weight of the mission you want to begin?”

“I made a lot of wrongful decisions and I’ve learned to live with them.” Changbin smiled. “I don’t know if I can take the weight of the mission alone, which is why I’m asking for help, but I know that it is something that must be done, and so I’ll take responsibility for it.”

“Of course you’d say something like that.” Minho smiled, pleased.

“Why do you say that?” Changbin looked at him with curiosity. “Was it part of your visions?”

“No.” Minho’s smile grew. “Because I saw myself accepting to be in your team.” 

“Does that mean…?”

“Yes, Changbin.” Minho extended his hand and Changbin took it with playful formality. “I’m sure it’ll be a pleasure trying to save the world with you.”

“Let’s get to it then, we still have a lot to do.” Changbin nodded, and they both began the way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my good friend Georgie for helping me with the plotting of the fic and listening to my endless rants about it, and also for giving me their detailed analysis of each chapter, it was so much fun.
> 
> I also want to thank those readers that commented on almost every chapter while this was an ongoing series. You helped me not give up on the fic, thank you so much <3
> 
> If you liked this fic, please go check out some of my other works, maybe you’ll find something else you’ll like. This summer I will be working on an ATEEZ fic so you can look up to that.
> 
> Finally, Versus has reached its end...
> 
> Or has it? ;)
> 
> See you!

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this chapter, remember to leave a comment and give kudos, it keeps me going! And don’t hesitate to talk to me through my social media:  
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> [CuriousCat](http://curiouscat.me/soft_bluenicorn)  
> 


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